House of Wolves: Fury in My Eyes
by Sativaa
Summary: "Dear diary, something crazy happened to my sisters and I today. We've finally met our father, but she's nothing like we imagined... and I don't mean that in a good way..." A/U S&M. A story in which our beloved hero is the villain. Antagonist!Natsuki. Rogue!Natsuki. Sociopath!Natsuki. FUTA. SHIZNAT. (Natsuki-centric)
1. Chapter 1

**#TheReturn.**

A very special gift for my very special friend and head consultant, **Killah Cam.**

Feel good short story.

 **Prompt:** _We all know the family-orientated hero Natsuki grew up to be in the main stories, but what if another mishap from the past lead her down a darker path?_

Eager to mold her apprentice into the ruthless killer we all knew she would have been, **Namikaze** stages **Shizuru's** demise. Made to believe her beloved and unborn children are dead, Natsuki disappears and delves herself into life of the Underworld. Sixteen years later, as the feared Kingpin lies dying in a dark alley, the Rokudaime is saved by a young girl whose golden locks and green eyes look too familiar for comfort. **Sociopath!Natsuki.** **Ruthless!Natsuki. Badass!Natsuki. Dark!Natsuki.**

A few minor changes as well. Since Natsuki ran away, **Namiko-obaa-san** was spared from her death. Like Namikaze, Namiko raises Shizuru as her own, but molds her into the young queen she never was. **Kira,** (mind the spelling, my new laptop refuses to accept my foreign pronouns) **Kaya,** and **Nami** (she's Nami to prevent confusion with the older Namiko) are triplets. They're all sixteen.

 **I**

 **She's My Sister. Break Her Heart and I'll Break Your face!**

 **...**

A young girl roughly around the age of sixteen closed her Trig textbook and sighed. She'd been doing homework since she got home from school, and that was roughly about four hours ago. She picked up her book and set it on her nightstand before neatly gathering her papers into an immaculate and orderly pile, making sure her name was written on each individual sheet - front and back - and all of her answers were spot on.

She'd just finished stowing her binder back into her backpack when a knock sounded on her door. "Come in," she said, making herself comfortable propped up against the mass of pillows on her king-sized bed so she could give herself one hell of a manicure with the new skills her Aunty Nao had shown her during her last visit.

"Aye Ki, you trying to go to the store?" her baby sister's curly dark head appeared through the crack.

Kira groaned internally and glanced out the window. The last rays of sunshine were just beginning to disappear under the horizon. It was only 8:05pm too, much too early to turn in, especially on a Friday night. "Come on Ki, I'll buy you somethin'." Namiko wiggled her brows, knowing that was an offer her older sister simply couldn't refuse. Kira nodded happily, threw on her Raiders hoody, grabbed her phone, and was all set and ready to go in about two minutes. "I should've started off with that, huh?" Namiko chuckled as the two began their journey down the massive hallway.

"Yup," said Kira, playfully nudging her taller companion, "you know the key to any girl's heart is through her stomach."

"Oh trust me, there are a lot of ways to get to a girl's heart through her stomach." was the cheeky, suggestive reply.

"You're disgusting." Kira rolled her eyes. Namiko fell into a giggling fit, urging the older girl to walk ahead or else they'd be standing there getting on each other's nerves until the store eventually closed and they'd all be mad.

"Haha. Have you talked to mom?"

Kira nodded. "Yes, she'll be back tomorrow night. Her flight got delayed because of the storm."

Groaning, Namiko said, "I miss her, man. How could she do this to me?"

"Do what to you?" Kira inquired as she spotted movement through the corner of her eye. Through the wide, sliding glass doors that led to the backyard, she could see two figures outside. "What're they doing?"

"Leave me at home with you two! Kaya's all like 'kill people, burn shit, fuck school' when mom's away and you're like 'wash your hands _after_ you eat dinner too' and I'm like, 'shit, I told Curie to wait somewhere and now I can't find her anywhere.'"

Kira blinked. "And your point is?"

"The point is…" Namiko paused, scratching her cheek uncertainly. "I think Kaya's making her practice their routine for the halftime show." she said instead. "Poor bastard, she's been here since school let out, you know. I personally don't know how she's still standing, I mean she did get her workout in last night…"

"You seriously need to stop hanging around Miroku. He's such a perv and it's rubbing off on you." Kira replied as the two stepped out into the night.

"And you need to seriously lighten up," Namiko chuckled, reaching out to put and slender hand on her elder sister's shoulder. Though the youngest of the Kruger-Viola batch, Namiko was the tallest and often took on that goofy yet extremely protective younger brother role. In a few years she'd probably breach the six-foot mark, but something in Kira was telling her it might be sooner. Namiko was a young and upcoming boxer, the apprentice of International Women's Boxing Champion and Hall of Famer, Kuroi Riku Kruger. (Black Riku.) Riku was also their favorite aunt, so it was a bonus to be training under her. "Seriously, you need get laid."

"Who needs to get laid?" the final member of the wolf-snake litter rasped out through labored breaths. "Wait, wait, don't tell me." she jokingly thumped the side of her head as if she were actually thinking. "That one." she pointed at her twin.

"Cute," Kira said as the three broke out in laughter.

"Aw, come on, sis," Kaya released her girlfriend's hand in favor of taking her twin's. "When are you gonna stop curving Skye? I heard she's really interested in you. Right, Nami?"

The youngest nodded. "Yep, says you've got a mean stiff-arm though and she thinks you could be the left-tackle the Raiders have always needed."

Kira blushed. "Oh my god, it was an accident!" she buried her face in her hands as she recalled that dreaded scenario. She'd been rushing to class to avoid being late and had accidently ran into Skye while she was out on her way ditching. One thing eventually led to another - Skye talked her into ditching with her to smoke weed under the bleachers, which eventually led to a heated makeout session, and ended with Kira fleeing, nerves on overload, and avoiding her ever since. That was Monday. Four days have passed since.

Kaya shook her head. "Skye's a hottie, Ki. And she's a great kisser." Alex's mouth opened, "So I heard." she corrected herself, flashing her woman a dazzling smile.

"Look, can we not talk about this right now?" Kira groaned. "I want some cheetos."

At the mention of the cheesy snack, three faces turned green. Namiko even went as far as making gagging motions. "What's wrong with cheetos?" Kira asked, slightly offended.

"There's nothing wrong with cheetos, per say," said Namiko.

"Then?"

"..."

Crossing her arms, Kira put most of her weight on one leg, adopting a defiant posture, one that said she wasn't moving an inch until someone explained herself.

"Well, it's the way you _eat_ cheetos…" Kaya began.

"With mayonnaise…" interjected Namiko with a disgusted shiver. "Mayo is only acceptable on sandwiches and burgers. And in tuna."

"And deviled eggs." Alex added.

"And deviled eggs." Namiko agreed. "Which brings us to mustard. Which is also only acceptable in deviled eggs."

"I don't like mustard. Or ketchup. You know that."

"Mustard I can understand, but ketchup?" Namiko placed a hand over her chest, wounded. "What else goes better with fries?"

"Ranch." everyone said in unison.

"Hm. Anyway, I have two questions. One: do ya'll want to bust a mission to the liquor store for some snacks. And two: they let KD go to the Warriors?!" she directed her last question more so to Alex.

"Because the NBA is rigged," Alex sighed, "but they wouldn't let CP3 come to LA because they wanted to prevent these so called 'super teams.'"

"Hm, I think we're good on the routine, baby," Kaya said as she returned to Alex's side and wound her arms around her lean waist. "Thank you for agreeing to perform in the couple's dance-off with me during the halftime show at tomorrow's game."

Alex kissed the top of her head. "Anytime, babe."

"HA, gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay." Namiko said with emphasis through her hands.

"Shut up, loser," Kaya smacked her baby sister's shoulder. "We'll come. I could use an Arizona."

"Go ahead and keep drinking that pisswater if you want to." Namiko warned. "I saw a tweet exposing all their fucked up schemes. Employees urinating in the damn cans. Disgraceful."

"Hm, so what flavor you thinking?"

"Might go with watermelon this time."

"So, after all that you're _still_ going to drink it?" Kira asked as the foursome locked up the house and began their journey.

They both looked at her like she sprouted wings. Maybe she would too if she got a Red Bull. "I sure the hell am," said Namiko, "only drink that's still a buck these days. Plus, it's the only complimentary drink to skittles. And mom just bought a whole pack before she left!"

"I just can't wait for her to get back." Kaya replied. "I miss her."

"Me too." Namiko and Kira agreed.

"When's she coming back again?" asked Alex.

"Tomorrow night. She was supposed to be back in the morning but her flight was delayed because of the storm."

"I hope she's got some kickass Venezuelan candy too!" That was Namiko and Shizuru's thing. The girl had one hell of a sweet tooth. Everytime Shizuru went abroad or on a business trip that involved leaving the country, she always brought her children back souvenirs. For her youngest, the most popular sweets. For her middle-child, bathing suits, and for her eldest, books. Kira loved to read.

"I hope Jonah's not with her." Kaya almost spat the name out. "I really hate that guy."

"Me too!" Namiko agreed as the store's lights appeared in the distance. "He really thinks he's got a chance with mom! Idiot, doesn't he know she's a lesbian?"

"Please, mom's hot and single. That doesn't stop anybody." said Kaya.

Jonah was their mom's insufferable coworker. Everyone knew he was not so secretly in love with their mother. He followed her around like a lost puppy, doing everything he could to please her, but their mother remained aloof. Either she was unaware of the his affection or she did a wonderful job ignoring them. It didn't matter that she had three kids who hated his guts and vice versa, he just wanted Shizuru to be his.

"Mom doesn't date, though." Kira pointed out. "I haven't seen her with anyone since we were kids."

"She always says she's too busy." said Namiko. "And that she doesn't need anyone because…"

"She has us." Kaya finished. "But it's not the same, you know?"

"She has everything: a high-end job, prestige, money, fame, power, children, a nice house, nice cars, but she's missing an Alex."

"An Alex?" Alex herself echoed.

Kaya nodded and looked up at her girlfriend. She pressed herself closer, resting her temple on Alex's rock hard bicep. "What's all that if you don't have someone special to share it with? She doesn't need an Alex because Alex is mine, but she deserves one."

"Well, the world would be better off with a Namik- ouch!" Namiko cried out as Kaya hit her in the face with the door. "Damn it, Kaya! I'm telling mom!"

"Mom's not here!" she stuck her tongue out childishly and hit her again for good measure before sprinting inside, Namiko hot on her heels.

"Great, they're gonna break and I'm going to have to buy." Alex groaned, holding the door open for Kira. The young strawberry-blonde was just about to make a cheeky comment, but her phone buzzed in her pocket.

"Uh, one sec, Lexie, I'll meet you inside." Kira said.

"Sure." with that, the basketball player disappeared inside the store.

"Hello?" Kira answered before even really checking the caller i.d and moving over towards the alley way for some privacy.

" _Kira?_ "

"Skye!?" Kira almost dropped her phone. With shaking hands, she managed to get it together. "H-hey, Skye."

" _You avoiding me now?"_

That was one thing about Skye that low-key drove Kira crazy - her bluntness. She liked that in a woman. "N-no…" She closed her eyes, trying to get her nerves under control. "I've just been… busy." Which wasn't a complete lie because 6 honors classes and volleyball were a lot to handle.

" _Right._ "

Kira pinched the bridge of her nose, unconsciously moving deeper into the alley in case her nosey sisters were anywhere in the vicinity. "How… How did you get my number?" not exactly what she had in mind, but a safer way to begin the conversation.

" _Your sister."_ Kira groaned. Of course! She'd forgotten Namiko and Skye were friends. Skye worked out at the same gym Namiko boxed for. She also made a mental note to kick Namiko in the balls later…

"I'm sorry," Kira began, leaning against the cold stone wall, "It's just… I don't… I've never done that before!"

" _Done what? Make out with a girl?_ "

"Yes!... no! Gah, you know what I mean, Skye!" Kira replied, blushing furiously. "We almost… I almost…"

" _Speechless, aren't you? I get that alot_." Judging by the airiness of her tone, Skye was obviously joking, but it sure did send a stab of jealousy surging through her. A peculiar sound to her left had her brows connected at the tips. She squinted, trying to make something out of the dark end of the alley, but to no avail. " _Kira?_ "

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, Skye, I thought I heard something. Must be a cat or something."

"Or a rat."

"Skye! Ew! Don't say that. I HATE rats. I would probably cry if I saw one." Kira moved away from the wall to the center of the alley. "Or run." she said as she paused to admire her reflection in a nearby discarded mirror. She was wearing a short dress under her oversized Raider's hoody (one she was thankful to have brung because it was beginning to sprinkle), but it made it look like she wasn't wearing anything under.

"They eat people, you know," Skye said spookily, "they're really carnivorous but like to pose as herbivores to fool prey."

"You know, if you're going to try to scare me with facts, make sure I'm not your bio-buddy so I can call you out on your bullshit." Kira shot back.

"You callin' me a liar?"

"I ain't calling you for dinner!"

Skye's musical laughter brought butterflies to the young woman's stomach. "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. And luckily for you I know just how to keep those furry bastards away."

"Oh? How's that?" Kira challenged, then almost dropped her phone for the second time that night. There, in the junk mirror she was standing in front of, was a dark figure perched on the top of the small convenience store. She blinked and rubbed at her eyes, convinced her mind was playing tricks on her. And she believed it too because when she looked again, the figure was gone.

But the feeling of those eyes on her… those green eyes that were both alight with hellfire, but as cold and dark as the area around her.

"So, you down?" Skye's voice once again snapped her out of her trance.

"Y-yes, of course!" Kira said quickly, not wanting to be rude because it was the second time she got distracted.

"Cool, I'll pick you up around 8pm tomorrow?"

"Yes?"

"Alright, it's a date. I don't really know what's out, but we'll decide when we get there." Skye paused briefly to talk to someone in the background who'd been calling her name for quite some time. "Yeah? Alright, here I come. Hey, I gotta get back to work, but I'll text you when I got off, yeah?"

Kira's little heart skipped a beat. "I'll be up waiting. I mean - I'll be up. I'll be up."

"I'll try to finish this tattoo as quickly as possible, then." Skye said, her voice a lot softer than usual. "Bye, Ki."

"Bye, Skylar." Kira joked. It was kinda their thing. When Skye called her by her nickname she called Skye by her whole name. Skye hung up a second later, but not before hearing the person in the background say something about cyber-scissoring, whatever that meant.

However, before the young woman could actually leave the alley and meet back up with her party, a raspy voice sounded from the rear. "Please Miss, could you help me? I seem to have dropped my ring and I can't find it."

As the words died on his lips, he appeared. He was huge. Kira guessed somewhere between 6'5 and 7'0, and built like a damn tank. He was a skin-head with tons of demonic-looking tattoos in the place of hair. His eyes were two dark, beady little slants with smears of dark makeup caked around the edges. Kira instinctively took a step back.

He raised his arms in a submissive manner, trying to convey he wasn't a threat. Kira was still weary. "Look," he reached into his back pocket and extracted a worn black snake-skin wallet. He pointed to a picture of a young boy roughly around the age of six. "This is my boy, Jim. He's seven." he showed her another picture of a black woman with a huge nest of gravity defying curls that made Kira's eyes widen with awe. "This my lady, Michelle, we got another one on the way, a little girl. But she'll kill me if I go home without my ring. Then I won't get to see Little Lisa." he chuckled lightly.

Kira relaxed a bit as she watched him stroke the woman's face lovingly. "Met her down in Sudan during a tour. Got captured, tortured, took a pail of hydrochloric acid to the face, lost my hair… She patched me up… and it was her idea to get all these tattoos to hide the scars. Better than walking around looking like Zuko, am I right?"

Kira chuckled politely at his joke. He hadn't made any wrong moves so far, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't. "I'm Clyde by the way… Clyde…" he coughed a bit. "Clyde… Stone."

"Kim," Kira said easily. "How'd you lose your ring Mr. Stone?" she asked as she began looking around her area while he did the same to his.

"I'm new around here," Clyde replied, kicking a piece of rubble off to the side. "I just got hired yesterday. I was taking the trash out when I heard it fall, but I couldn't track it."

"I didn't know Emilio was hiring…" Kira said. Weird. When Namiko came a few days earlier looking for work, he'd turned her down. But she didn't blame him. She had a habit of disappearing for long periods of time, and always came back smelling like a damn dispensary.

"He probably understands how hard it is to get a job when you're a returning vet. Besides, he's a dad too. You know how that goes."

Ouch. Kira's easy-going smile evaporated almost as instantly as it was conjured. In all sixteen years, 58,40 days, 5.046e+8 seconds she'd been alive, she'd only heard things about her father when her mother used to drunkenly mumble things about her when she was asleep. Shizuru didn't drink often, but she had her days.

But she only knew a handful about her. She was a woman - she knew that very well, but she didn't know what kind of woman she was or what kind of woman she had been. They wondered of course. Sometimes, late at night when their mother was sleeping or out of town they'd wander into each other's rooms and just talk about everything - including their dad - over a blunt. (Courtesy of Namiko).

Namiko, who related to their father in a way she never could, always tried to remain upbeat about, claiming their dad was probably one hell of a woman if she'd managed to win Shizuru's heart. _"Don't worry,"_ the younger teen would say, " _If dad's out there I'll find her and give her a piece of my mind! Then I'll drag her back home and let the Snake Queen have her way with her."_

If anyone thought Namiko was fiercely overprotective of her sisters, wait till they got a hold of how she was with their mother. Shizuru was Namiko's favorite person in the whole wide world. Well, all three of her children were completely smitten with her, but Alex and their grandmother were her younger daughters respective idols.

Being the eldest, Kira took their father's absence harder than any of the three. As the eldest she was responsible for not one sibling, but two, especially when their mother was as busy as she constantly was.

She often wondered what it was that drove their dad away, especially when their mother needed her the most…

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Clyde asked softly.

Quickly swiping at her eyes, Kira responded with a shaky, "Yes" before looking up at the large man. He seemed even bigger up close. And now that she was standing so close she could see his tattoos much more clear. "Machine Gun Kelly" was written in large, bold letters across his jugular. Kira felt her blood run cold.

"Machine Gun Kelly?" she echoed, desperately hoping it was just a coincidence.

He was silent for a few moments. However, every second Kira could feel the pressure of his hand getting tighter and tighter until he had a firm grip of her shoulder - something she was trying to avoid all together! "I guess you could say… It's my hood name."

"HE-"

"Oh, no you don't, girlie." Machine Gun Kelly spat, smashing his hand over Kira's lips. His biceps were almost as big as her head. He pulled her against his chest and drew her deeper into the alley. Tears poured from the girl's eyes when she witnessed her phone fall out of her pocket and onto the filthy street. Just as Namiko's name flashed across the screen! She hoped her sister took her silence as a problem and came out looking for her. Alex and Namiko could surely take him if they busted a Naruto and Sasuke tag team like in the _Boruto_ movie Namiko made her watch.

He kept his left hand positioned over her mouth as he began to trail his right up and down her bare thigh. "You're a pretty little Chink too. Shame. So was shorty from Sudan too. Want me to call her for a three? She's around here somewhere… everywhere… bwahaha."

Kira cursed her terrible luck. Of all the criminals she had to run into today, why did it have to be notorious serial rapist Machine Gun Kelly? Clyde Stone was a facade. It probably wasn't even his wallet. Or his son. "If your kitty is as tight and little as the rest of ya, I might have to keep you alive for round 2."

He chuckled darkly, but what began as easy laughter, turned into a gurgled cough. Kira yelped as a knife was plunged deep into Machine Gun Kelly's neck. His weight vanished soon after. Kira took that opportunity to run as soon as she saw those same luminous green eyes from earlier. She hit the corner, swung open the convenience store doors, and stumbled inside. Her sisters and Alex were gathered in the chip aisle. "This shit is harder than the pop quizzes Mr. Jones hits us with during the week." Namiko said after fifteen minutes of not being able to decide on what the hell she wanted.

"Wasn't it your idea to come to the store?" Kaya demanded.

"Mhm."

"Don't 'mhm' me, you little shit." she reached out and yanked Namiko down to her level by the ear. "So if it was your idea, why the hell didn't you come with something in mind!"

"Ow, ow, ow," Namiko whined, "first of all nobody made yo punk ass come. I was just asking to be polite."

While the two continued their banter, Alex's large doe eyes found the rapidly approaching Kira. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Namiko piped up, "where the hell have you been? I've been calling you! You know mom will kill me if something happens to you! And what kinda fucking cheetos do you want?"

"Guys…" Kira startled, then broke down in tears.

Kaya slapped the shit out of Namiko's chest, leaving her gasping for air. "You're such an asshole! Look what you did!" she pointed to their older sister who was crying her ass off in Alex's arms. "I'm really telling mom."

"NOOOOOO." Namiko sank to her knees, her hands clasped together in prayer. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Here, I'll buy you the big bag and everything. AYE, Emilio!"

"Que." came the Hispanic man reading a newspaper at the register's response.

"You sell mayo?"

"Si." he reached under the counter and set the desired condiment on the table top. He then sneered in Namiko's direction, pointing to the broken seal. "You already broke. You buy."

"MEEEEEE? I don't even like mayo!"

"Que."

"Okay!" the teenager rose from the floor and went over to hug her older sister from behind. Kira was now sandwiched between two buff yet lanky teens.

"Brazzers!" Kaya whisper-coughed.

"Kira, I'm sorry." Namiko mumbled into her hair. "I'm just starving. I've got the munchies and I don't know what I've got a taste for because everything looks good, but I've only got $3 and…"

"Wait." Kira pulled away from Alex's chest to fix her idiot sister with a glare. "How were you supposed to buy me some cheetos and something for yourself with $3?"

"And something for me?" Kaya crossed her arms.

"I didn't even want you to go, tbh, so that's definitely out. Besides, you already owe me $10!"

"I don't owe you a damn thing. That's between _yall._ " she pointed back and forth between her girlfriend and her sister.

"As far as I'm concerned you owe me $10 too by association, you feel me. Both of yall can drop $5 though." She turned back to Kira. "I'm really sorry though, sis, I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It's okay, you don't do it on purpose. It's not my fault you're ugly. It's your fault. But you're not the reason I'm crying, Nami."

"Is it because of Skye? I'm sorry, Ki! I'll kick her ass. But she begged me for your number! I didn't know she was going to be a dick. She's a bigger dick than me. And I have one…"

"No, Skye didn't do anything." _In fact, Skye and I have a date… I think._ She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Her heart was still thumping violently in her chest from her violent encounter. Those eyes… that person with the green eyes, the one who'd been watching her from above, had saved her. And the last thing she'd seen of them was their body being thrown to the side like a ragdoll by MGK. "I was on the phone with Skye when something happened. No, not like that." she said, waving off her sisters' suggestive smiles. "There was this guy in the alley… he said he was looking for his ring… he showed me a picture of his wife and son…"

The tears returned. Namiko was a bit confused. "Were they ugly or something…"

"He grabbed me," Kira sniffled. God, she could remember everything like it happened ten minutes ago. "And he pulled me to him… and he smelled like blood and gunpowder…"

Namiko's and Kaya's arms were around her instantly. Alex loosened her embrace to fit them all. "I'll kick his ass!" Namiko swore, but Kira grabbed her arm.

"No, he's dangerous, Nami. He's a wanted criminal. Remember that serial rapist I was telling you about a few days ago?"

"The one who stole the rapper's name?"

"Well, the rapper Machine Gun Kelly stole the actual Machine Gun Kelly's name… but yeah. It was him."

"How'd you know it was him?" Alex asked.

"Because he had a tattoo on his neck that said 'Machine Gun Kelly.'"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What?" Kira said when she was met with silence. "I thought it was stupid too…" she whispered, feeling small.

"OH. I thought you were being sarcastic." Namiko said. "Well, are you okay? Did he do anything?"

"No." _Thank god for Green Eyes._ "Someone saved me."

"Someone saved you?" Kaya echoed.

"A man with green eyes. I don't know anything else about him. He was wearing all black and he had a mask on."

"If that's the case we need to call the police." Kaya said, much to Namiko's disdain. "Don't say shit about the system right now Namiko, or so help me…"

"I'm not going to say _fuck the police_ out loud if that's what you were thinking." Namiko replied out loud. "Emilio, you've got a pair of loonies hiding in your alley. One almost got my sister. You need to call the police."

"No."

"What?" Namiko fixed him with the coldest stank face she could muster. "I just told you there are a bunch of crazy fucks on your turf and you're refusing to bring in the heat?"

"Si."

"Y tho?"

"Bad for business." he said gruffly, returning to his newspaper. Namiko oughta beat his ass! With a growl, she punched a hole through the newspaper and gripped him by the collar of his polo. He glared at her. "Que."

"Why I oughta…"

"Let's go, Nami." Kaya tugged on her jacket. "Our sister needs us."

Namiko nodded and allowed herself to be dragged away. "I ain't buying here no more. 'And I'm taking these cheetos. Which I'm not paying for."

"Stealing." he seethed.

"And you're refusing service to a customer. Illegal."

"Leaf."

"Gladly." With that, the three warriors, armed with cheetos _and_ the bottle of mayo Namiko swiped when he wasn't looking, and Kira made their way out of the store.

"Now, you said someone saved you?" asked Alex.

Kira nodded. She looked back at the alley. All was quiet now, but there hadn't been so many blood smears on the walls when she'd been here. The mirror from earlier was now useless, smashed to pieces with bits of blood and torn clothing hanging from the upholstery. She couldn't see Kelly, but she could see…

"It's him…" Kira said, spotting his body lying curled up in the corner. "He's the one who saved me."

"Where's the other dude?" Namiko asked, looking around. But Kaya had already found him. With bile in her throat, the older girl pointed somewhere above them. "Ohh… I found him… he's just hanging around." she said as she stared at his body… suspended 20 feet in the air, hanging by the flesh of his… "Woah! He hung him by his intestines! Awesome!"

"How the hell is that awesome!?" Kaya demanded, smacking her upside the head.

"Gur… because he deserved it for trying to rape our sister! He's lucky this guy got to him before I did." Namiko stood by her opinion, and for once, Kaya agreed with her.

"He's hurt…" Kira whispered, unconsciously moving closer only to be stopped by Alex's hand.

"If he could do that to him, we gotta play it safe. I'll go first." At the shorter girl's nod, Alex began inching forward. "Oh yeah, he's hurt bad." she announced softly, "I'm going to call an - oof!"

"ALEX!" Kaya screamed as the strange man leapt up from the deck with amazing speed, his fist connected with her jaw effortlessly. The young forward was mercilessly tackled to the floor, her attacker upon her instantly, blow after blow until her face was a bloody mess.

"Hey! Bastard!" Namiko shouted, rolling up her sleeves. "Eat dirt!" she roared, slamming into the figure like a damn linebacker. They both rolled away from the downed woman. Namiko was back on her feet instantly, adopting her signature fighting stance.

He remained on one knee, unable to fully stand due to his injuries. But he sure did beckon Namiko forward. "Eh?" she blinked. "Alright, buddy, your funeral!"

"NO!"

"Kira!"

The man had reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. Kira had seen it almost as soon as it happened. He was fully prepared to kill anyone in his path, and she knew that. Kicking her body into overdrive, she rushed forward. "Don't hurt her! Don't hurt him! Both of you, stop it!"

"W-waa…" Namiko stopped instantly, but he did not. Not only was she incredibly confused, but Kira had inserted herself right into his pathway. "Ki, NO!"

"AHH!

"KIRAAAA!"

.

.

.

 **To Be Continued.**

 **P.S.** Ya girls are college students (2K16) now. But we've got time. Happy Birthday, Cam! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it. Stay tuned for **#Smoke &Mirrors** and **#NRFTW.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Yes, this is futa. It's always futa. It is also Shiznat. It's always Shiznat. Shizuru's profession will be revealed later on as will bits and pieces of the past until the story comes together. This story is really helping me with my mojo for the finale of _Smoke and Mirrors_.

 **2\. All the Single Ladies Put Your Hands Up**

 **(Tell Him, 'boi, bye.')**

….

"I'm back, Shizuru." a male voice announced as said male entered the booth, sliding into the seat across from her. He flashed her a charming smile, placing what looked to be a computer flash drive on the center of the table. "And I've got the documents right here."

The woman sitting across from him lightly blew on her cup of tea to cool it down. Her perfectly manicured fingernails thrummed distractedly across its aluminum surface, an action he recognized to be a result of anxiety. "What's the matter, Shizuru?"

She took a sip of her tea. On the outside she may look like the epitome of cool, calm, and collected, but on the inside she was a raging thunderstorm of nerves. "None of my children are answering their phones. It's late - approximately 8:30pm in San Francisco. Kaya will forget to take her medicine if I don't remind her…" the worried mother fretted.

He felt the all too familiar pull of frustration he always got when his crush talked about her kids. It wasn't that he didn't like kids, they just weren't his, and that was a problem for him, especially since he planned on courting their mother. "I'm sure they're fine, Shizuru. It's the weekend, you know how teenagers are." he said smoothly.

"And I specifically know _my_ teenagers," Shizuru retorted absently, taking another sip. The tea helped calm her nerves a bit. "They tend to butt heads at every given chance. If someone doesn't step in to stop them, they won't ever stop. And they have terrible memories - especially Namiko."

He hated the fondness of which she spoke about her children. That made it all the more difficult to move in and claim his territory. "Three's a lot to handle by yourself…" he said in place of his dark thoughts.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes slightly. She was beginning to grow tired of Jonah's subtle jabs at her single motherhood. She didn't need anyone. She, along with her friends and her adoptive family, managed to raise three teen girls just fine. Besides, she couldn't picture herself with anyone after…

No, that was a wound still far too tender.

"I'm just saying…" Jonah scratched at his chin. "Three girls is nothing like having three boys. Girls can be a handful."

"I'm very aware," said Shizuru uninterestedly.

"... and they need a male presence in their lives…"

Shizuru set her cup on the table. Crossing her legs, she leaned back in her chair before doing the same with her arms. A strand of golden hair escaped its prison tucked behind her ear. How badly he wanted to return it to its place…

"I know perfectly well what my children need." Shizuru said, her eyes holding a peculiar glint in their crimson hues. "I also know perfectly what you're hinting at. My children do not need a male presence nor do they need a father. They have one."

"And where's he, huh?" Jonah couldn't help but exclaim. "I've been your partner for ten years, Shizuru, and I haven't seen nor heard a lick of him! How long are you going to wait for some deadbeat to come back when you have a perfectly good man right in front of you?"

As soon as he said the words he regretted it. The temperature seemed to drop a few hundred degrees. The man watched in silent terror as the refined woman rose from her throne in a manner that couldn't be described as anything but _flawless._ "I will see you back in California." she said coldly, turning her back on him. "Goodbye, Jonah."

"Shizuru…" he tried.

"Goodbye, Jonah."

With a heavy heart, the red-haired man made his walk of shame out of the office a quick and silent one. Only when the doorknob clicked shut did Shizuru allow her impenetrable mask to fall out of place. Turning back to her desk, she picked up the small family portrait sitting on the corner of it. It was of herself and the girls. She was nineteen in that picture - the kids only about three or so - and had just graduated from UCLA.

In their youth, the twins had been carbon copies of _her_ … They had _her_ eyes, _her_ nose, _her_ perfect lips, _her_ soft, heart-shaped face… If only they'd been born with hair as dark and luscious as their father's. No, they'd been gifted with Shizuru's long, feather-soft, wavy brunette locks. Only Namiko wore her father's mane as proudly as she did.

Shizuru could still remember the nights spent lounging in her bedroom. Sometimes when she was on top of Shizuru her hair would fall over her shoulder and graze her breasts… other times Shizuru would hold her down by those dark tresses and have her own way with her. The crater in her heart had never been fulfilled after that night… _when the devil came for her soul._

Whoever said the devil wore red was a damned liar. The devil wore clothes forged from the particles of black holes and tar that swallowed dinosaurs. The devil was a _woman_ and meeting _her_ seemed like a fate worse than death. The day Shizuru planned to ask Natsuki to marry her was the day _she_ came bearing news of a tragedy.

" _I am so sorry, my dear, there's been an accident." she'd_ said. Then Shizuru went numb.

The rest had been a blur. A terrible blur that she did not wish to reminisce, and left her chest burning with anxiety. She was forced to take a seat. Natsuki's death had been the most traumatic thing she'd ever experienced. She'd been far too young, far too good. The days leading up to her death were spent talking about their daughters. She'd been willing to spoil her children _rotten._

And the worst part about everything was… the girls had been born during the 48 hours following their father's passing. 36 hours of labor had drained Shizuru to the point where she didn't even have the strength to push out her youngest. Nami was delivered via c-sec, and it had been the most difficult of the three. To make matters worse for the single mom - postpartum depression - which was common for new mothers - had hit Shizuru like a freight train. She'd been reduced to a sobbing wreck when they'd come to take Nami for examinations.

It was almost like losing Natsuki all over again, as they held her down by the arms and took her kids, leaving her anxious and terrified and unable to follow. Those two hours had literally been _hell._ If Namiko-obaa-san hadn't been there…

She didn't know what she might've done.

Sighing tiredly, the crimson-eyed goddess rummaged through her desk for another picture frame. Seeing it did two things to her: one, it made her incredibly melochanic, but it also filled her with a strange sense of tranquility. She pressed her lips lovingly against the portrait before setting it behind the one of her and the girls. Her heart gave a series of half-hearted kicks as she gazed long and hard at what could've been - her dreams of a perfect family had died with her beloved.

They were a happy family. Shizuru loved her kids more than life itself and vice versa. She was all they ever knew, and she'd not dare to bring another soul into the equation for no one could replace Natsuki or even come close. Her heart has not skipped a beat in decades. When Natsuki had been around butterflies were not far, but she had yet to feel anything. She'd gone and lived Natsuki's previous life for her - she'd become the Ice Queen to all but her children.

But when she stared at the pictures in front of her, of her and the girls and Natsuki's in the background, looking every bit like the fierce and loyal wolf she was known for, they were the perfect family.

" _Anata ga inakute, samishii kimochi ni narimashita._ " Shizuru whispered, fighting tears.

" _I miss you."_

.

.

.

Kira was fully prepared to die for her sister.

As soon as she'd witnessed her savior go rogue and pull out that knife she jumped into action. But he did something that shocked them all. Instead of flinging the knife unapologetically across the way like a MW2 tomahawk to incapacitate _Namiko,_ he flung the knife unapologetically across the way like a MW2 tomahawk to incapacitate _another_ skin-head who'd leapt out from behind the dumpsters to avenge his partner. The knife hit him perfectly in the chest.

After watching that little showcase of skill Namiko sweat-dropped and began to slowly back away.

The thug spluttered stupidly as he stared at the knife sticking out of his left pectoral. Feeling his life force begin to dissipate, he fell to his knees, fully aware of his inevitable fate. He knew he wouldn't be able to avenge Machine Gun Kelly, but he'd make his killer suffer. Suddenly, there was a glock in his hand and a target on the loose.

"Kira, get down!" Namiko screamed at the top of her lungs. Kira was standing between the two clashing thugs because of her! If he decided to go trigger happy there was nothing to prevent her from being hit!

"Die, bastard!" the skin-head snarled, pulling the trigger.

For the second time that night Kira found herself staring death right in the face. She closed her eyes instead. A couple of peculiar sounds followed her decision. First, the rustle of fabric - someone was near her. Second, a muffled groan of pain. Third, the sound of a body hitting the floor. Fourth, her cry of pain as she was roughly shoved out of the way.

"Kira!" Namiko was suddenly by her side. The younger teen pulled her against her chest and began dragging her away from her savior (for the second time, too,), who lay on the floor unmoving, a perfectly rounded hole leaking fresh blood from where the bullet got him in the side.

"Nami, what are you doing!" she cried. "He's been shot! He needs help."

"He's dangerous," Kaya spoke up, her voice strained and her face green. Her hands were stained with blood as well - her girlfriend's blood. Alex had taken quite a beating. Both eyes were almost swollen shut, her lip was split, and she had yet to get back on her feet, but she claimed she was alright. "Look what he did to her!"

"It could've happened to anyone! He's scared and hurt! Of course he's going to lash out at strangers." Kira defended, roughly pinching her younger sister's nipple to escape her iron embrace.

"Youch!" Namiko hissed. "Oh, no you don't!" she grabbed Kira by the waist and continued to tug her backward, ignoring the white-hot pain in her left breast. "You're talking about this creep like he's a stray dog or something! He's a grown man who just _murdered_ two other grown men! We need to leave, Kira! We're witnesses to a _homicide_!"

"And he was going to kill our sister, Kira!" Kaya spat, glaring at his prone form with hate evident in her green eyes.

"He didn't. He saved her and he saved me." Kira pleaded. "If he hadn't did what he did, we'd have both been shot! We didn't even see the second guy! If it weren't for him, we'd all be in trouble."

"We'd be in even bigger trouble if we're seen with this guy!" Namiko retorted. "We don't know anything about him other than the fact that he's not apart of Team Mystic! That tomahawk shit was insane. He was urging me to come to him so he could shank me!"

That, Kira didn't have an answer for. She honestly believed that he had no intention of stabbing Namiko, but something had to be done about Machine Gun Kelly's sidekick. She should have seen it coming. It was common knowledge that criminals usually run in packs, well mostly because some are just too stupid to function alone, but serial rapists often paired up.

"We can't just leave him…" Kira whispered softly. "He'll die…"

"That's not our problem." Kaya said coldly. There was something about her voice that offered no room for more arguments. "We're leaving before any more of these goons show up."

As much as Kira hated to admit, she knew her sisters were right. They were just trying to protect her, but that was all he'd been doing as well, and it wasn't fair that she'd get to go home to a shower and a nice meal and he'd be subjected to die alone in a convenience store alley. Kira glanced up at the sky. The clouds were just about ready to burst, the heavens alive with the promise of a thunderstorm.

"Okay." she said. "But at least help me get him out of the rain."

"Alright." Namiko agreed, slightly reluctant because she was not in the mood to get hit with any surprise attacks, but she'd witnessed him push Kira out of the way. The least they could do was keep him a little dry.

"Kaya, I'm fine." Alex insisted as she finally attempted to stand. "Really, just caught me by surprise is all."

"You're not fine," Kaya said. "You can't even open your eyes all the way, Lexie. He's a freaking psycho who just gutted two people and they're worried about him getting a little wet."

"He saved your sisters' lives, Kaya." Alex didn't intend on arguing for the man on the same level Kira had, but she wasn't just focusing on his faults like Kaya. If anything, she was more so on Namiko's side. "But like Kira said, we don't know anything about him and from what we've seen so far…"

"Uh, guys?"

The two put a momentary hold on their conversation and looked over in Namiko and Kira's direction. The two had managed to drag the fallen convict to a decent corner in the back of the alley where he'd be safe from the storm. Kira was kneeled beside his head, her fingers combing soothingly through his hair. "You two should see this." Namiko said.

"Leave it to our sister to baby murderous psychopaths." Kaya grumbled.

"He's got a really bad fever," Kira said worriedly, her palm coming to rest on his forehead. She could feel the rapidly ascending temperature even through his shredded mask.

"Was that supposed to change our entire outlook on him?" inquired the middle sibling. "He's got a cold so we're gonna ignore the fact that he's still a psycho?"

"Stop calling him a psycho, Kaya." Kira glared at her. "I'm just saying… he's got a lot of open wounds. Look." she took his arm and rolled up his sleeve. His slender yet muscular arms were completely marked up with dark, gothic tattoos. Kira was right about the state of his body, though.

His clothes were pretty shredded, and some bruises on his skin were so dark they were black. "He could be delirious… mom would know what to do."

"Mom's not here and she'd kill us if we brought a stranger home! Especially one like him!"

"He's not a monster! He saved my life!"

"He's not a guy…"

Everyone paused to look at Alex, who'd been watching the injured convict closely for some time now. She'd been staring at his chest, monitoring his breathing just in case he began to crash before they could figure out what to do. It was then when she noticed the subtle but still there mounds on _her_ chest.

"Great, so now are you going to say she's only a psycho because she's on her period, am I right?" Kaya snorted.

Ignoring her twin, Kira boldly leaned down to remove _her_ mask.

The first thing that came to mind when she saw the woman's face was _stunning._ Even with the insane scars she had crisscrossing everywhere. There was one shaped like an 'x' on her throat, another valiant gash slashing across the bridge of her nose, and the left side of her mouth… Kira gasped.

"W-woah," Namiko kneeled beside her sister for a closer look. "It's like someone tried to… shit, that's fucked up. I think I'm going to be sick…"

Even Kaya had to look away. The scar itself honestly wasn't all that grotesque, but they could reimagine the laceration as it been when it was first inflicted just by looking at it. "It doesn't change anything, Kira." Kaya said, her voice noticeably softer. "Look at her. She's blasted from head to toe with the same kind of tattoos as them." she jerked her chin in the direction where MGK was still hanging and the place where his homeboy was lying.

"I know you're trying to be a good person, Ki, but you can't see the good in everyone because sometimes it just doesn't exist." Kaya reminded her.

"Then why did she push me out of the way? Why did she take a bullet for me, Kaya?"

"Let her go, Ki."

Kira shook her head. She didn't know why, but she suddenly despised the thought of being away from this strange woman. It was probably because of her eyes… she'd been the only one to see them.

' _I saw my eyes in the mirror, but I wasn't looking at my own reflection,'_ she bit her lip. Her nose and eyes began to burn with the tell-tale signs of tears - she was frustrated. Frustrated with Kaya more than anything. Kaya usually had her back on everything, so why couldn't she have it now? She understood the circumstances were a bit more drastic, but usually Kira's intuition was enough to sway her. And Kira's intuition was begging her to remain at this woman's side. She knew Kaya felt it too - they were twins - myths are based on some truth.

But Kaya's fear of someone else getting hurt was stronger than anything. Who knows what the woman might do when she woke up in a stranger's house? And what if she lashed out on their mother like she did Alex? She was far too unpredictable and unstable for Kaya's liking. There was no denying the strange pull she felt around the convict as well, but _her_ intuition was telling her no.

"Guys, it's getting late. Mom's gonna call soon." Namiko reminded them.

"Kaya…" Kira tried once more, pleading, begging.

"I'm sorry, Ki, I'm just trying to keep you guys safe." Kaya turned away, her decision already made. She tugged on Alex's hand. "Let's go home."

Kira slumped over in defeat, her tears falling onto the woman's pale cheeks. Namiko squeezed her shoulder before she too began to make her way out of the alley. "I'm sorry, Ki, I really am, but Kai's right. He's too unpredictable."

The teenager then began to shrug her jacket off. When she'd managed to free her arms, she pulled the jacket up to the woman's torso for a makeshift blanket. Kira did the same with hers to make a pillow. "I'm so sorry," she breathed into her ear, stroking her head once again. With a heavy heart she realized that her fever was getting worse and worse. Could she truly make it through the storm?

She set her dark head on the makeshift pillow before reaching for the beads around her neck. Her grandmother had given her this powerful, spiritual necklace six years ago and she'd never taken it off. Mumbling a quick prayer and topping it off with a quick kiss to the head of the necklace, Kira clipped it onto the unconscious convict. "I won't let you die…" she mumbled before taking the path left by her companions. "I promise."

The walk home was made in silence. Alex limped on with Kaya ahead, Namiko was a few yards away, awkwardly kicking at loose stones. Kira wanted to be alone for a minute anyway. She was already thinking of ways to sneak off and return to that alley. She knew she should just let it go, but she couldn't. If that woman dies…

' _I can't believe I'm so choked up over a stranger. A stranger who just killed two grown men… they were bad guys, but still… she gutted him like a pig then showed him off like a trophy after… but her eyes…'_ Kira's phone buzzed. Looking down, she felt slightly more apathetic when she saw Skye's name on the front screen.

 **From: Skye 9:07pm.**

 **Pussy couldn't take the pain and tapped out. I've got my mustang, though. Wanna go 4 a ride?**

An idea popped into Kira's head and before she knew it, her fingers were flying across that keyboard.

 **To: Skye**

 _I would love to. Pick me up down the street from Emilio's?_

She didn't have to wait long for a reply.

 **From: Skye**

 _Be there in 10._

Kira breathed out a sigh of relief. Now was the hard part. How the hell was she going to convince Skye to make use of her backseat without it sounding wrong…

.

.

.

 **To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**3\. Skye's the Limit**

"I'm going with Skye." Kira announced when the quartet reached the halfway point between their mansion and Emilio's store.

Namiko's head swiveled around as soon as her friend's name fell from her sister's lips. Her own stretched from ear to ear in a giant, shit-eating grin. Even Kaya glanced over her shoulder to throw her twin a knowing look. Kira sighed softly: it'd worked, the memories of the events leading up to this very moment had been pushed back into the depths of their minds.

"And just _where a_ re you two going?" Namiko questioned, returning to her side to throw an arm over her older sister's shoulder.

"For a ride…"

"I bet!" Namiko exclaimed before doubling over with laughter at the sheer look of embarrassment on her sister's face.

"In her Mustang! Oh my gosh, you're such a perv." Kira whined, trying desperately to cool her flaming cheeks by pressing Alex's half-finished bottle of Perrier against her face. Damn it, she should've just snuck out to meet Skye like she originally planned, now her sisters will never let her live it down. But that would've subjected either of them to come check on her when her presence wasn't obvious like it usually was.

"Aw," Namiko actually looked disappointed. "I thought you'd finally given in. She's got the whole Selena thing going on and everything."

"First of all, that's not politically correct. Skye is Puerto Rican. And depending on which Selena you're talking about - well it really doesn't matter because neither of them are…" Kira pointed out, remembering the Hispanic vs. Latino conversation she had with Skye one day in Spanish class a long time ago.

"Hey, atleast I gave her somebody hot. You know what she calls me when I'm not around? Or even when I'm around?"

"No, but I bet you're going to tell us." Kaya muttered.

"Lucy Liu! Lucy Liu of all people!"

"Lucy Liu isn't bad looking, though." Alex said, shrugging.

"No, she's not, she's just very _not_ Japanese. Do we all really look that much alike?"

"I don't blame her," Kaya trolled, "we honestly do. If I had a dollar for every time I was mistaken for Kira…"

"My point exactly! Wait…"

"Dick," Namiko muttered as a light wave of laughter surged between the bantering group. "Anyway, is she coming to pick you up?"

"Mhm, she's on her way right now."

"And speak of the devil…" Alex announced as the sound of a powerful engine sliced through the night. A few seconds later, a cherry red Mustang gt350 with white racing stripes and blue 24's rounded the corner.

"Man, Skye's ride is so hot." Namiko moaned as it continued its powerful strut down the asphalt. "You're so lucky you get to ride in it."

"You've never ridden in your best-friend's car?" Kira asked, surprised. Should she feel special…?

Namiko shook her head. "First of all that's not my best-friend, I don't even like her tbh. I just hang around her to pick up chicks. Secondly, no! She's so anal about it."

"That's sad." Kaya said.

"Just like your contouring." Namiko shot back as the Mustang pulled up alongside the curb. The passenger's seat window rolled down slightly, revealing just the top half of Skye's face.

"Ugh, you again." she said to Namiko, who had the audacity to look offended. "Getting real tired of seeing your mug everywhere I go."

"Well, then stop going places cuz I get around."

"Riiiiight, I forgot _you're_ the chick magnet." her hazel eyes rolled back into her skull for a moment, and when they returned they were on Kira. "Hey," she said, her voice lacking the aggravated tone she was sporting earlier.

"Hey," Kira replied shyly.

" _Hey,"_ Namiko mocked in a sickeningly sweet, over exaggerated huff.

"Are you ready to go?" the Puerto-Rican girl inquired, leaning over to unlock and push the car door open. Kira nodded quickly.

"I'll see you guys back at the house later. If mom calls tell her I'll call her when I get home. I love you guys." she instructed, pulling her companions into a quick hug before sliding inside the gt350.

"Some best-friend I have." Kira looked up from strapping herself in to see Namiko recording her from her Galaxy - most likely Snapchat, she guessed. "Won't give me a ride home from the gym on leg day, but'll swoop in for my sister's muffin… smh, where yo real friends at."

"Ugh, that's enough of you. Hi Skye, keep my sister safe." Kaya said, snatching Namiko by the ear once again. "If something happens to her, something happens to _you._ " she finished sweetly.

"Gotcha," Skye saluted playfully, "wassup, Hussein. Whoa!" she did a double take when she saw the state of Alex's face. "What happened to you?"

"Husein? As in Saddam Hussein? The Middle-Eastern dictator the U.S shot down a long time ago?" Kaya narrowed her eyes. "You guys are both dicks. You're perfect for each other."

"So what does that make you?" inquired Namiko. "Because I'm thinking something that rhymes with _ditch_."

"Keep talking and I'll have to find a word that rhymes with _murder._ "

"And that's our cue," Alex said, quickly separating the two. She nodded at Skye. "Coach had us practicing zone defense, needless to say it didn't work out too well. You guys be safe out there."

"Is anyone planning on cooking tonight?" Kira asked.

"Yes, I do, why?" Kaya confirmed.

"Well in that case, you guys be safe in _there_."

Before Kaya could reply, Skye revved the engine, effectively cutting her off. And in a flurry of screeching tires and exhaust, the gt350 roared down the street.

.

.

.

.

"So, where should we go?" Skye spoke after _Needed Me_ played for the 50th fucking time on the radio.

"Actually, Skye, there's something I need you to help me with…"

Glancing at her from her peripherals, Skye turned the radio down so she could hear better.

Kira felt like she could trust Skye with this task. Especially if Skye saw how much rescuing that strange woman would mean to Kira. She did, after all, save her life. "Earlier… I was… I…"

"Come on, you can do it." Skye encouraged.

"... I was almost raped…."

Skye hit the breaks a little harder than necessary as they came up to a stoplight. Her incredulous hazel eyes seemed to glow in the night. Her mouth was agape, revealing the Snake Eyes piercing she had in her tongue. "Ki…" Kira held up a hand.

"It's okay nothing happened. Someone saved me."

"Someone saved you?" she mumbled, as if she couldn't believe heroes still existed.

"A woman with tattoos and green eyes. She stabbed him, then he let me go and I ran for help."

"Wait, she _stabbed_ him? Did she kill him?"

Well, _killed_ was a bit of an understatement. More like mutilated… but that was a story for another time. Or she'd have to see it to believe it. Nodding, she said, "Him and his sidekick. They were hiding in the alley waiting for some stupid girl like me to come help _find their ring._ "

"What happened to her?"

"That's the thing. She's hurt really really bad, Skye, and she was shot. Shot saving me. Again."

"How long ago was this?"

"About forty-five minutes ago…"

Skye was silent for a while, probably relaying the information in her head over and over again trying to make sense of it. "Do you think she's still alive?"

"I don't know," Kira said honestly, "but if she is… Skye, I don't know how to explain it… have you ever just looked at someone and immediately felt a connection?"

"Yeah," she whispered, looking away.

"That's just how I feel. No one deserves to die like that." _Not even murderous psychopaths who gut and hang other murderous psychopaths._

"Damn, and there was no way you guys could have called an ambulance without facing some serious questioning from the feds when they showed up…" The brunette nodded absently, lost in her thoughts. "Well… if you feel that strongly about a stranger…"

"She saved my life, Skye. _Twice._ " Kira pleaded. "A life for a life, then my debt is repaid."

"Where do you plan on taking her if she is alive? It'd be a miracle if she's still kicking when we get there, but who knows for how long? If she's as injured as you think, she might need a hospital."

"I don't care what happens, I just want her to be okay. My mom is a doctor…"

"A little bit of an understatement," Skye said as she changed lanes. "Your mom doesn't travel all over the world treating menstrual cramps and common colds. She's a legend in these streets."

"What if she freaks out and calls the police?" Kira knew the answer to that question before she even finished saying it. Shizuru Viola was the epitome of cool, calm, and collected. She was known all over for her beauty and her brains, but most of all, the iron conviction in which she handled all impossible tasks thrown at her. Besides, her mother was a master martial artist, she doubted just anyone could take her, especially a street thug.

"She won't, but she might just kill you."

Kira smiled at that, oddly enough. Masochist much? "She might, but she's always encouraged me to follow my heart…"

"And what's your heart telling you?"

"That I have to at least try." she said softly. "... her name… I need to know her name."

"What? Why?"

Kira sighed as Emilio's shop came back into view. It looked like nothing happened, but it was a different story when one got closer. Skye parked her Mustang out front and got out to slip a few quarters in the meter. "So I'll never forget the reason I'm still alive today."

Skye had to smile at that. The dark-haired girl quickly cleaned her backseat to make room for the convict. "I forgot to mention that she's a bit of a wild sleeper…"

"So, in other words, don't be an idiot. Gotcha."

The two teenagers wearily entered the alley. She had been right. Nothing had changed. And when Skye saw what remained of Machine Gun Kelly, she let out a low, impressed whistle. Geez, she sure knew how to pick the morbid ones… "That right there… is not easy to do."

"Good to know…" Kira looked away, feeling her stomach begin to churn. "She's still here!" she said happily, spotting the convict in the same position she'd been left in, although she had rolled over onto her back. Skye tugged on her hand, signalling her to stay back, similar to what Alex had done, but Skye seemed to actually know what she was doing.

She kneeled a few inches away from her body, her hand reaching out to press against her jugular. For a long time she couldn't feel anything, but when a harsh cough wracked the woman's body, she needed no other confirmation. "This fever is no joke." she muttered. Kira joined her when she felt no risk of danger.

The woman's cheeks were flushed crimson from her fever. Her lips were pale, her body slick with sweat as if she'd just stepped out of a sauna, and her eyes had dark circles underneath them. Kira guessed she hadn't had a good night's sleep in quite some time.

Ignoring Skye's slight chirp of alarm, she brought the woman close to her chest, her dark-head was now resting in Kira's lap. "That's a hell of a scar." Skye said, pointing to the one that stretched from her earlobe to the corner of her lip, where a knife had sliced through the sensitive flesh of her jaw, permanently painting an eternal half-smile.

"She must live one hell of a life." Kira agreed.

A flash of lightning crackled across the sky, harbinger of the massive clot of rolling thunder that followed suit. Kira shuddered; she wasn't a big fan of thunder. "Well, if you're sure about this…" Skye mumbled. At Kira's eager nod, the delinquent liberated the wounded convict out of the smaller girl's arms.

"No, not the fireman's lift, Skye." Kira warned. "It'll hurt her more than it would help."

"Should've made Santos come with us." Skye grumbled, picking up the woman bridal style with a bit of difficulty. She wasn't the biggest person around girth wise, but she was very tall and _very_ fit. "But your guard-sister would've blew a gasket."

"You know how she is, Skye." Kira said. "She doesn't do it on purpose. It's just that it's harder for her to cope with her disorder when mom isn't here."

"I guess it is still pretty new to her, huh?"

Kira nodded as she checked their surroundings for any wandering eyes. "Yeah. It's gotten better over the last few months, but the episodes are still pretty frequent." she opened the door for Skye, who deposited the dark-haired woman in the backseat. She hadn't made any dangerous moves so far, but that was because she was probably so delirious from her fever that she was stuck between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"Still, it must be pretty hard."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it, Skye." Kira shook her head as she returned to the passenger's seat. Skye made sure their charge was secure before she strapped herself in. "The other girls on the team give her such a hard time for it."

"Cheerleaders are spawns of Satan, we all know that. But Kaya's a big girl. She can handle herself."

"That's what I'm afraid of…" Kira mumbled. "Sometimes it's really hard to get through to her when she's in one of her moods. It sucks."

"Because you're her twin sister and best-friend but you have no idea how to help her." Skye guessed, and received a nod.

"She doesn't want to be helped when the episodes begin. She'll lock herself in her room for hours - sometimes days - and she won't let anyone in. Not even our mom…"

"Why's that?"

"I don't really know, but I think in some way she doesn't want to be pitied. When she was diagnosed, mom swore up and down that it was her fault."

"Shizuru blames herself for Kaya's disorder?"

Kira nodded. In a few minutes they'd reach the mansion. Her plan was simple: she'd enter the house, greet her sisters, and claim to turn in for the night. When the lights go off, she'd meet Skye around back and together they'd hall the convict downstairs into the basement. That way, she'd be able to rest because no one really ventured down into the basement except for Kira who used it as a nice, quiet place to study.

"Well, I think she more so blames herself for not being able to properly help her."

"I see. But your mom's the best orthopedist in Cali. If anyone can help her, it's her."

"That's just it, Skye. Mom's the best orthopedist, but she can only heal skeletal abnormalities. My sister's disorder isn't something that any of us can really understand."

Skye turned the corner on Kira's street and once again took a moment to admire the magnificent community her golden-haired companion lived in. Walnut Creek was home to the super-rich and elite, a few miles from the city. It was quiet (boring as hell, as Namiko would say), beautiful, and luxurious. The house they lived in was a majestic, three story mansion with eight bedrooms, five bathrooms, a home theatre, a guest house in the rear, and a 12 car garage. It was an interesting shade of grey with intricate black markings. The shape of the house was styled to resemble that of the ancient traditional homes of Japan. Shizuru had fallen in love with it instantly, claiming it reminded her of home.

"She's lucky to have you all."

Kira smiled a bit and reached into her breasts to extract the key to the gate. Pressing the button in the middle, they waited for the path to clear before Skye kicked it into gear and pushed forward down the long, winding pathway. However, before they got too close too the house, Skye shut the Mustang off. "If I get any closer they'll hear us coming and come out to meet us. I really don't want to see your sister anymore today."

"Ugh, you're so lucky. I have to see her _everyday._ "

The young brunette quickly made her way to the house. "I'm back." she announced as she shut the giant door.

"Oh, young Mistress, you've finally returned." a frantic, distinctively British accented voice drawled as a dark-skinned man clad in a spectacular tuxedo burst from the kitchen. "Your mother called - she's worried sick and upset, and she's taking it out on me." he whined.

"I'm sorry, Geoffrey, it must be the storm. I don't have any bars." Kira lied easily.

Geoffrey, their incredibly flamboyant and dramatic yet loyal butler, sighed. "Well, please call her before you go to bed. I quite like this job."

"Aw, we love you too Geoffrey."

"Love? Who said anything about lov… Ah, who am I fooling? I _love_ this job. And the pay is magnificent. Well, carry on, young Mistress. I have manners to attend to." and with that, he was off. Kira shook her head. Geoffrey, Geoffrey, Geoffrey.

Namiko was passed out on the couch, her Xbox One controller dangling from her left hand and her phone clutched in the other. The TV was still on, showcasing the game she'd been playing - _Fallout 4._ Kira switched it off and draped the duvet on the back of the couch over her sister's body.

"...ngh… please mom lemme get a motorcycle…." the teenager mumbled in her sleep. "...would be so badass."

' _And the worst thing to ever happen to city-traffic'_ Kira thought before she made the journey up the stairs to locate Kaya. Alex seemed to have left - she didn't see the sports bag she brought out earlier nor did she notice Alex's car out front. As she walked further down the hallway, she felt a burst of relief somewhere deep in her gut when she heard the shower running.

Drake's _Controlla_ poured from the mobile speaker she always took with in the bathroom with her so she could jam in the shower. She'd be a while. Perfect. Rushing downstairs, Kira ventured to the backyard where Skye was waiting patiently behind a few trees, the convict still resting unconsciously in her arms.

She beckoned Skye inside, closing the door behind her and leading her down the hallway. "Wait…" they froze.

"...I don't want no eggs in my omelette…" Namiko mumbled sleepily again before she was out for the count. The two girls shared signs of relief.

"Then how is it an omelette, idiot…" Skye grumbled.

The basement was nothing like Skye imagined. She'd been over a few times to hang out with Namiko, but she'd never been down here. It was about the size of a small home, and was made to look like one to. The walls were painted in glorious shades of purple (her mother's favorite color), the carpet a dark expanse of grey landscape. There were a few couches centered around a small coffee table, a 50 inch 4k TV perched on the wall, and a cool looking water bed in the corner.

The space was gorgeous, but what really caught Skye's attention was… "Holy shit…" she gasped, awed. "It's… gorgeous…"

There, behind the couches, perched magnificently on the wall like an ancient artifact, was a bike, but not just any bike…

A superbike… well, the remains of one anyway.

The paint, once a eye-catching shade of black on black with royal blue trims, was rusty and faded. There were a quite a few dents in its sleek body, almost as if someone had taken it and threw it down a hill. Skye's hazel eyes settled on the helmet resting on the seat. Kira instructed her to set the convict on the couch, feeling that the waterbed wouldn't fully support her recovery and it would probably make her feel even sicker.

"I didn't know your mom rode."

Kira looked away, feeling a tug deep in her heart where an age-old wound still throbbed. "She doesn't… that bike… it's… it was my father's."

Skye stared at the helmet, which wasn't in much better condition than the bike. Kira joined her before the memorial, her hand finding hers. Skye squeezed it gently, knowing how touchy that subject was for all three hatchlings of the Snake Queen.

"What happened to your dad, Kira?"

The young brunette, pressed her face into Skye's bicep to hide her tears. But the way her body shook gave it all away.

"Mom would never say for sure… but all these signs lead up to only one thing."

"Kira…"

"I think my… I think our father is dead. I think she has been for a long time, but mom won't let her go. I wish she would just tell us the truth instead of letting us wonder for so many years… every day I wake up thinking about my dad and what it would be like if she were here… maybe we'd still be in Japan with my grandparents and great grandparents. Maybe mom would be happy… we could be a complete family. But everytime I come down here and see this bike and that ruined helmet… the dream just crumbles…" she moaned as if she were in actual, physical pain. "Maybe it'd be easier for Kaya to deal with her disorder if she had dad around… Maybe Namiko wouldn't feel so alone about her condition… I don't know… I would give anything to at least know who she was."

"This is going to sound so corny, but you have to stay positive, Kira. I know what it's like to lose a parent - my mom isn't dead but she gave me away a long time ago. I was just lucky I found a rich white couple looking for some diversity in their family. Your mom is probably just as choked up as you about it or even more so. You said it yourself, she hasn't been with anyone since your dad. She probably doesn't need anyone… because she lives in you. In all three of you."

Kira sniffled. She knew that. She knew all of that, but it just wasn't fucking fair. "Things happen for a reason…" the older girl comforted, rubbing her back. Kira wiped her tears away with the back of her wrist. Her eyes felt completely drained from all the crying she did today. Her fingers reached out to stroke the cold surface of the helmet. There was lateral incision that cut through from the top to the bottom of it, right through the visor and everything in between. Judging from the state of the helmet and bike, the accident couldn't have possibly _not_ been fatal.

Unable to stand the sight any longer, Kira moved away from the memorial in favor of tending to her charge. She looked a bit better now that she was in the warmth of the house. The next thing would be to get her cleaned up and her wounds treated. Luckily, Shizuru had shown her the basics and she was an active member of the Sophomore EMT club at school. So, she'd be of help to _some_ degree until she grew enough balls to tell her mother about her looming felony.

She absently admired the woman's features once more, familiarizing herself with the savage scars on her throat, jaw, and the gash that almost stole her sight from her left eye. "Everything happens for a reason indeed." she mumbled.

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.

.

Shizuru stretched her arms above her head after the final round of sifting through medical documents, signing release forms, donating to charities, approving or disproving orthopedic advances. "Ara, what a view." she said softly to herself as she peered out of the window of her private jet.

"Another cup of tea, Shizuru?" a gorgeous dark-haired man with brilliant golden eyes asked as he filled the seat next to her.

"No thank you, Reito." she politely declined. She sighed tiredly. "Hey, cheer up, gorgeous. We'll be home soon. Have you told the girls you're coming back earlier than anticipated?"

"No, I want it to be a surprise." Shizuru said fondly. "I miss them terribly. Are Tate and Julius aware of your early return?"

"Are you kidding?" Reito giggled. "I'm the Pope of the Bay Area, everyone knows when I'm returning. My husband and son are just the most important."

"Of course, how could I ever forget." Shizuru drawled, nudging him playfully. "You should bring them over Sunday since we'll be back in town in a few hours. I'll cook."

"You sure know your way to my heart, my dear. Of course we'll come. Besides, Julius misses his cousins terribly."

"Then I'll be sure to bring them. Might as well have a little get together? Like old times."

"Precisely," Shizuru agreed, turning back to the window. Although it would _never_ ever be the same again.

.

.

.

 **TBC.**

 **Now the road to Shiznat begins.**


	4. Chapter 4

**#4: Raised by the Wolves**

"Nothing seems to change, I know now. This is who I really am inside."

* * *

 _"I was lost now I'm found,_

 _I'm sustained by the sound,_

 _Of the angels singing me to sleep,_

 _While my feet are leaving the ground,_

 _Am I dead? Or am I dreaming instead?_

 _A cornucopia of opiates have flooded my head_

 _I'm insane, I am smart,_

 _All it takes, is a spark, to ignite my bad intentions,_

 _And do what I do best to your heart,_

 _Don't be fooled I was raised by the wolves,_

 _Now the moon hangs in full, so you know I won't play by the rules."_

 _\- Raised by the Wolves -_ **Falling in Reverse**

* * *

It was sometime around 5:30am when Shizuru arrived back at her home in Walnut Creek, San Francisco. "Thank you for the ride, Sebastian. As always, get home safe. And say 'hello' to Lucy and the boys for me." the brunette said to her chauffeur as he opened the door of the black 2016 Maybach Exelero.

Smiling, he handed her the duffle bag filled with her personal belongings he'd fetched from the trunk. "It is always a pleasure, Dr. Kruger, and I most certainly will. Give my regards to the girls as well. I heard little Namiko is causing quite a stir around town." he replied cheerfully.

Shizuru felt a proud smile form on her lips at the mention of her youngest daughter. Though only a high-school sophomore, she was regarded as one of the best ameture female boxers in the Bay Area. A lot of that had to do with the skill and knowledge passed down to her by her aunt Riku, but the roots of her success came because she had her dad's fighting spirit. "She is due for her final match in one month's time. She'll be the first boxer of boys and girls alike to reach fifty consecutive wins, and she will be a champion."

"I expect nothing less." the slender male chuckled. He then bid the brunette a chipper farewell before returning to the vehicle and disappearing down the pathway that led to the entrance of her fabulous estate.

After taking a moment to bask in the gentle familiarity of home, the orthopedic surgeon inserted her key into the lock and stepped inside, and was immediately swept into a pair of strong arms. "Mom, you're back!" cried Namiko. "I'm saved!"

Shizuru giggled and hugged the girl back just as tightly. It was a comical sight, a grown woman dressed from head to toe in Armani, dangling like a ragdoll in her exceptionally tall half-dressed, teenage daughter's arms. Even without shoes the youngest Kruger towered over her mother by three whole heads. "Saved from what, darling?" she asked as she was gently lowered back onto the ground.

"From the twins!" Namiko groaned. "They're drivin' me nuts, mom."

"Oh, I'm very aware, Namiko tells me every opportunity she gets." Shizuru teased.

"Yeah, but lately it's been even crazier than usual." Namiko grumbled, crossing her arms. "Kaya's on her rag so she's extra bi…" a warning look from her mother stopped her there. "...bilaterally challenged…?"

"Mhm."

"And Kira's hogging the basement again!"

Shizuru set her bag on the couch and took off her heels before inserting them into her daughter's outstretched hands. "Thank you, sweetie," she smiled, her little gentlewoman. "But why is she in the basement? I thought you two agreed to share the garage until the television down there is replaced?"

Namiko scratched her head. Should she tell her mother about what happened earlier tonight? Or was that something Kira had to do since it more so concerned her? "Uh, she doesn't like my music. Says Future is too depressing! The nerve of some people…"

"Is staggering, isn't it?" Shizuru couldn't agree more. "Where are your sisters? I want to surprise them too."

"Kaya's in my room asleep and Kira's hogging the basement as we speak!"

"Again?" Shizuru's face fell a little. "That's the seventh time in the last two weeks."

"I know," Namiko's voice lowered in volume. "She says she doesn't know why she does it, just that sleeping near me makes her feel safer."

"And she still refuses to sleep without Kira by her side," Shizuru pulled the teen into her room and shut the door. "I'm sorry, Little Warrior, I know how hard it must be to fall asleep with two extra bodies so close."

"Nah, it's cool," Namiko waved it off, "they're not half bad when they're asleep. I just have to get used to the blanket hogging. I almost froze to death twice, mom. Twice."

Shizuru suddenly pulled the teen into another hug. The 5'9 boxer was forced to bend down quite some ways. "Mom?" she inquired softly, her arms snaking around Shizuru's torso. She'd never been one to turn down her mother's affection.

"Thank you for watching over them." Shizuru replied just as softly. "It is easier to cope with being away for so long knowing you are here with them."

Namiko just smiled. Her dimples had a funny way of swallowing her cheeks whole, and her easygoing nature despite her thirst for combat always managed to put Shizuru at ease. "Someone's gotta make sure you guys stay safe," she bashfully rubbed the back of her neck. "But I have to get going, mom."

"I've been meaning to ask you… where are you going so early on a Saturday?"

Namiko gestured to her half-dressed state. She was only clad in a pair of dark grey Nike compression pants and a matching sports' bra. Her left hand was also wrapped in tape. "The gym." she groaned. "It's leg day."

"I thought Riku agreed to give you Saturdays off," her mother said as she removed her earrings and tucked them into her jewelry box perched on the nightstand.

"Yeah, but with the final match coming up I want to be fully prepared." the corner of the girl's lips curled into a smirk. "I'm gonna win it all, and I'm gonna use the money to take _you_ out for once."

Although it was unnecessary, Shizuru was touched by her daughter's promise. "Besides, it's your birthday, I'm pretty sure you don't want to waste it surrounded by a bunch of barbarians." Namiko continued.

Unbeknownst to Namiko, the fact that Shizuru's birthday and her big day fell on the same day elated Shizuru. She couldn't think of anything else she'd rather do than watch her kid shine, with the support of her sisters and the rest of their family, who'd be flying out soon to attend the match. "All the more reason to attend," the brunette said, smiling, "all I want for my birthday is for you to try your hardest."

"I'm gonna make you proud," Namiko replied, determined, "you, Riku, grandma, grandpa…" her list was cut short as her phone chimed from its placed tucked in her bra. "Uh, hold on a sec. Hello? Yeah, I'm up. I'll be there in… what?! Now!? No way! Tell her to fight me! I'm on my way!"

"Ara…?" Shizuru blinked as the teen suddenly bolted out of the room, only to return a few seconds later slightly winded.

"Laila Ali is at the gym sparring with Riku as we speak! I got next!" she squealed, trapping her mother in another ferocious hug. "K, see you later, bye, love you." and she was gone, just like that.

Shizuru fondly shook her head and continued to unpack. By 6:10 she was freshly showered, dressed in high end loungewear, and making her way around the house to greet her older kids. She started with Kaya since she was closer. Stopping at Namiko's door, which had a giant 'Beware of Dog' sign on the front, she knocked lightly.

' _Ara, she must still be asleep,'_ Shizuru concluded after receiving no response. She pushed the door open as gently as possible to reduce noise. Namiko's room was a mess of millennial technology and pop culture. An Xbox One S sat on the matte black dresser, connected to a 50 inch Samsung 4K Tv with a silver PS4 perched on the opposite side.

Posters of punk bands and mainstream divas like the Pretty Reckless and Rihanna were scattered across her walls. Making sure to tread carefully as to not accidentally break anything, Shizuru easily crossed the room to the bed where her second born daughter was slumbering peacefully tangled in her sister's sheets. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and proceeded to stroke Kaya's dark honey locks. Her hair was slightly darker than her mother's and sister's, a cheap way to distinguish the three from behind. After a few moments of trying to angle her head away from that bothersome hand, Kaya was awoken from her dreaming state. "Stahp id," she grumbled, turning away from her mother to rest on her opposite side.

Shizuru grinned mischievously. Turning her body so that everything except for her right leg, that provided her stability, was on the bed. Extending her long, graceful form, she took the place directly behind the half-asleep teen, and began to assault her with kisses.

"What are you doing, you weird…" Kaya's annoyed reprimand was cut short when she found herself staring into her mother's vibrant crimson eyes. "Mom!" she cried, throwing her arms around Shizuru's neck. "You're back early!"

"Indeed," Shizuru smiled, "I missed you all so much, I couldn't stand to be away any longer."

"It's been what… a week and a half? We missed you too, mom."

Releasing the younger brunette, Shizuru adopted a comfortable position on the bed beside her. "Yes," she said. A bit of guilt managed to sneak its way into her tone. "However, my next business trip is not until after Namiko's match, and it is not nearly as long - three days maximum."

"That's a relief." Kaya sighed and laid back down, pressing her cheek firmly against the pillow. Shizuru noticed the slight dark circles under her second-born's eyes. It looked like she was having trouble sleeping again.

"You are exhausted," Shizuru announced, placing her hand on Kaya's clammy cheek. "Dehydrated…" her hand moved to examine the place above Kaya's jugular. "Palpitations…" her mother then fixed her with a serious look, a question floating in her crimson hues Kaya had been dreading since she had been awoken by Shizuru. "Have you been taking your medication, sweetheart?"

Kaya's fingers tightened noticeably on the sheets. "No." she admitted, now choosing to bury her face into Namiko's pillows. Shizuru sighed softly and pulled the distraught girl back into her arms. "I'm sorry," Kaya whispered tearfully, "I just… I don't like the way they make me feel… the pills… my emotions don't feel like my own, mom."

This was what Shizuru had been afraid of when she reluctantly agreed to put Kaya on meds. Her disorder was not easy to deal with at all, especially on her own, and Shizuru was often forced to be away from her kids due to her demanding career. She'd just needed something that could keep Kaya's extremely high emotional levels sated so she could continue to live her life normally. "I hate this…" Kaya murmured against Shizuru's collarbone, which was already wet with tears. "I hate this so much."

"I know, _no koinu,_ " Shizuru rubbed her daughter's back, hoping the familiar nickname would have a positive effect on the girl. "But you are not alone." Leaning closer, Shizuru rested their foreheads together so her eerie eyes could penetrate the emerald windowpanes and speak to the soul hidden inside. "Whatever you decide, I will support you no matter what. We will support you, no matter what. Just be strong, _Koinu._ "

"I don't know how."

"From here." Shizuru's well-manicured nail poked Kaya in the chest, right above her heart. "You must be undeterred. But true power lies in here…" her finger ghosted over the spot concealing Kaya's pineal gland. "It is from here where you learn the secrets of the universe, where you will learn immortality in its truest form, where you will learn to be _invincible._ "

It was something about the way her mother spoke that told Kaya those words were not her own. She repeated them like a mantra, with a peculiar glint in her vampiric irises that Kaya was all too familiar with. It was that adoring look in the eye someone might have when talking about a loved one or observing a newborn. In short.

Love. Immortality in it's purest form.

"That doesn't sound easy to learn," Kaya mumbled.

"It is not." Shizuru admitted. "On your journey you will be forced to learn things on your own, but some things must be taught. And I will teach you."

"Did Obaa-san teach you?" Kaya asked suddenly.

Shizuru slowly shook her head. "Your grandmother taught me many things, but no, this particular… skill… was introduced to me by another."

Surprise etched its way onto Kaya's face. Shizuru didn't really answer to anyone except Namiko, who sometimes she didn't even answer to. To her children, Shizuru was a woman who knew everything and couldn't possibly be taught something she was already doing far too well - living.

"It is not enough to simply _live_ , my love. You must learn the difference between reality and fantasy, and even then you must greet both with your chin up, or your tiara will fall. One day you will find that happiness inside of you, then you will truly know what it means to be _alive_."

Shizuru disentangled herself from their shared embrace after her mini-speech. Leaning forward once more, she placed a loving kiss on Kaya's head. "Rest, darling. I will make your favorite so that you may enjoy it when you wake."

"Mom…" Kaya called before Shizuru walked completely out of the room. Her eyes didn't move from the random spot on the bed they'd been glaring daggers into. "When was the last time _you_ felt alive?"

The unexpected question made the normally stoic woman flinch harshly. It had been foolish to believe that Kaya wasn't going to pick up on the state of her mood when she spoke those seemingly ancient, familiar words to her. Unable to properly face the question head on, she said, "I live for you."

"Kaya."

The teen finally looked at her mother, her eyes shining with emotion. "I have been in the highest places you can imagine, and in hell too many times to count… all with you three growing inside of me… because of you three growing inside of me." _'Because of the memories growing inside of me.'_ "Do you love her?"

"Alex?" Shizuru nodded.

"I do…" Kaya said with no hesitation. "More than I ever thought possible…"

A smile made a cruel mockery of Shizuru's ruby lips. "I know. She loves you just as much. I don't think I need to explain it to you."

"Explain what?"

"We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason."

The door clicked shut softly after that, leaving the bipolar teen alone with her thoughts.

.

.

.

.

Kira made a mental note:

' _Start listening to Kaya. She makes valid points.'_

' _Also, if I survive, that is, take Namiko's offer to show me a few boxing moves.'_

If she'd done either of these two things earlier, maybe she wouldn't be in such a scary, fucked up situation.

It'd all started with her removing the wounded convict's shredded clothes to patch her up as best as she could with her experience as captain of the Junior Emergency Medical Technician club. Plus, she was already trained in the basics, her mother is a doctor, hello.

Then she'd discovered an odd tattoo on the convict's forehead, right above her left eyebrow. It was a single word written in elegant Japanese that Kira couldn't decipher despite her decent knowledge in the language. She felt like she'd seen it somewhere before, but couldn't remember where. She'd unconsciously reached out to move the woman's hair back to get a better look, thinking she was finally down for the count...

Sike!

As soon as she stuck out her hand, her wrist had been grabbed savagely, and her entire body against a nearby wall. Fear sunk into her, and she pressed herself as far back against the structure as possible. The convict was literally inches away from her…

She towered over her by at least three heads, and her extremely cut body was built and sculpted to resemble that of a soldier or olympic athlete. Her cold emerald eyes bore deep into hers, she couldn't see a lick of passion in them… only dark intentions and her own submissive reflection.

But even as she stared death right in the eye, she couldn't help but notice how stunning this woman was despite her rough appearance. Before she had all the dark piercings, gothic tattoos, and scars, she might have looked like one of those gorgeous, expensive Japanese dolls Kira used to see on TV back in Tokyo.

"P-please…" Kira began, "I'm just trying to help…"

"Shut up." the woman growled lowly, her voice sending blocks of ice crashing down Kira's spine. Her hands, which had been placed on the wall on either side of Kira's head moved to grip the girl by her petite shoulders. "Where am I. And who are you." her body trembled slightly, she wasn't supposed to be standing so soon.

"My name is Kira… Y-you saved me. You saved my life. That man was going to rape and kill me… you killed him, then you were shot… I brought you here

"I didn't save your life," the woman spat, "your life means nothing to me. You should have left me in that alley." a devious smirk came across her lips. "You'd have been better of with him."

She then pushed Kira onto the floor, only needing one hand to keep her down. The woman's hips pressed into Kira's thighs as she searched her. The teenager could feel a bulge against her skin, and immediately knew what could come if she disobeyed. The gun was visible now that she was crouching. Her long body was enough to almost completely conceal Kira's underneath it. The girl had no chance of escape.

"Now, you're going to do something for me." she whispered harshly into Kira's ear, her long, dark hair ticking the latter's shoulders. "If you run, I'll shoot you. If you scream, I shoot you. If you don't come back. I'll find you. And shoot you."

Kira squeezed her eyes shut. "Why are you doing this? Please, you're hurt! I just want to help you…"

The woman chuckled darkly. "How naive of you. What are you? Sixteen? Do you think just because you're a kid I won't shoot you? I'll shoot you sixteen times - tell you what, make it seventeen. Early birthday present. That's better than a silly card in my opinion. Now, keep your mouth shut unless I say otherwise. And I certainly will. Capiche?"

"..."

 _Click._ "I don't think you heard me… _capiche_?"

"Capiche." Kira mumbled around the barrel of a semi-automatic.

"Good girl."

.

.

.

 **Next time…**

" _It's been almost a year, sensei. An entire year of searching and still nothing." the frustrated young woman spat, kicking an old soda can out of her pathway. Miyu said nothing, just watched the white-haired girl have her little temper tantrum. "Where the hell is she!"_

" _I am uncertain," Miyu systematically reminded her for the billionth time. "It is getting late, Inu-sama. Your lessons will begin shortly. There will be time to vent another day. For now, keep it together. It is unbecoming of a Young Lord to whine."_

 _The young woman grit her teeth. "Yes, sensei."_

 _A private vehicle came for the two sometime after they fell into a brooding silence. Miyu's phone went off as the Young Lord strapped herself in. Miyu's cold red eyes flashed with surprise as she read the name on the screen. "Drop me off here," she said to the driver, who slammed on the brakes immediately. "Make sure she gets to her lessons on time. I will return shortly."_

 _The driver nodded. Inu glared at her until the window were rolled all the way up. When the Monte Carlo pulled off, Miyu answered quickly. "My Lord."_

" _Miyu."_

" _I trust your mission was success?"_

" _Machine Gun Kelly and his merry band of morons won't be a problem any longer. However, I ran into a bit of trouble."_

" _Trouble, sir?"_

" _Hideki Marguerite has a hit on me. Although, he'll need a new hitman now, I suppose. The last one won't be coming home for dinner. But I managed to get myself shot. My body won't hold up on the streets."_

" _I will send a team immediately, sir."_

" _No. Not a team…. How is our little puppy?"_

" _She is irritable, frustrated, and not at all happy with you. She might try to kill you when she finds you."_

" _Excellent. I don't need an entire team. Just send my puppy… and my damn bike."_

" _Your wish is my command, Lord Namikaze."_

" _And what have I told you about calling me that?"_

" _My apologies, Natsuki-sama."_

" _Miyu."_

" _Natsuki."_

" _You will learn," Natsuki said before she abruptly dropped the call._

 **R &R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**#5:** _Doesn't That Rhyme with 'Kamikaze?'_

" **I love you, money, I love you, money  
I'ma never put a bitch above this money  
I'ma wake up and just hug this money  
Yeah, yeah**

Ain't none of this shit promised, ain't none of this  
Ain't none of this promised  
Ain't none of this shit promised, ain't none of this  
Ain't none of this promised  
Ain't none of this shit promised, ain't none of this  
Ain't none of it promised  
Ain't none of this shit, none of this shit, none of this  
Ain't none of it promised."

 **\- Rihanna, ANTI, "None of this Promised"**

" _Good girl."_

The words had never seemed so… _degrading_ to Kira before… spoken so amusedly in that bloodcurdling tone of hers, but it was also strained. The teenager could tell this woman was ready to collapse at any given second. Her perseverance was admirable… if not completely terrifying.

"Now," she growled, "I'm sure you've already felt it…" However, just to make sure, she slowly and pointedly rolled her hips. With lightning speed, she flipped the young woman over onto her back and pinned her wrists above her head. Kira's stomach lurched in terror. She found that she couldn't move her other limbs no matter how hard she willed them to do something… _anything_ to protect herself, but her fear had taken over.

"Take it out." was huffed venomously against her ear.

She released Kira's wrists, but her hands found a new, even more frightening position on either side of her head. "Don't make any sudden moves," the dark-haired woman said dangerously, "I'll snap your neck before you even pull the trigger."

Kira swallowed thickly as her hands slowly descended down the woman's body, not quite touching, but close enough to feel the heat of her skin down to the waistband of her jeans. With a dejected sigh, she found that the item was too big to avoid loosening her belt. "It's too big…" she whispered, hoping it'd save her the embarrassment of such a degrading task.

"So use your head."

Her fingers shook violently as she fumbled with the buckle of her surprisingly and insanely expensive belt. A quick glance down south and Kira realized the the belt was Giorgio Armani. As she loosened the belt, her eyes quickly gave a more accurate sweep of her capture's appearance.

The belt wasn't the only expensive article of clothing she adorned - which inclined her to believe that she was above a petty street thug. Gang members made money selling dope, but not this type of money. And the clothes couldn't have possibly been stolen. Judging by the way they clung to every gorgeous curve and swell of muscle, they had been tailored specifically for her. Just who was this woman?

Kira's small hand finally managed to grip the barrel of the pistol the woman was carrying in her jeans, and she offered it, trying not to stare at it… stare at her own paralyzed reflection in the gold metallic finish. The woman snatched it out of her hand and flung it carelessly to the side. "Good," she purred, "now put your hand back on my hip." Kira did what was told with only a small amount of hesitation. "Two inches down, four centimeters to the left."

Kira's fingers glided down her coiled back following the coordinates she gave, and nearly snatched her hand back when she felt it. It was only because of the woman's earlier warning of no sudden movements that she didn't. "Does the sight of blood of bother you?"

"I… I hate it…" the teen admitted quietly.

"Hmm," she contemplated, "in that case…"

She sat up on her knees and hooked her fingers under her shirt, tossing it up and above her head and out of reach. Kira's eyes widened. "Oh god…"

The woman's torso was absolutely soaked with dried blood of various shades, indicating that not all of it was her own. It blotted out old scars and made her tattoos - all except one - nondescript. Kira squinted to read the word written in large, pointed Japanese letters. It was a name - a surname she believed.

" _Namikaze_." Kira read aloud. ' _Well, at least I got her name - my killer's name. Namikaze… I don't like it… It doesn't seem to fit her at all.'_

This seemed to spur a violent reaction in her because, suddenly, she had descended upon Kira again, her green eyes _blazing_ with fury. "Never, _ever_ , say that name again." she hissed. "Do you understand?"

Kira nodded.

"Good, now I'm sure you've already figured out what I expect of you. If not, well, too bad for you. Remove it _slowly._ The more _I_ bleed now, the more _you_ bleed later."

' _It looks like I'm about as good as dead no matter how obedient and submissive I am,'_ the teen thought with rapidly sinking confidence. ' _How do I always manage to get myself into these situations.'_ Granted, being a hostage was rather new, but there were times where her curious nature had lead her to do questionable things. ' _If she kills me she'll either leave or hurt someone in the house… I can't… I won't let anyone get hurt because of me."_

The current bane of her attacker's existence was a large piece of glass embedded in her lower back, probably from the earlier skirmish in the alley behind Emilio's. Kira couldn't tell exactly how deep the penetration actually was, but it wasn't going to be quick and painless to take out… No, if she removed it too quickly, the woman would surely pass out from the pain and eventually die of blood loss…

Kira had never in all of her life thought of killing someone. Her gentle nature and affinity for all things good in the world had long since purified her soul. But she'd made a horrible mistake; she'd brought home the very specimen her mother warned her about when she was a child. Kira wasn't even a fan of dogs - they frightened her - but somehow she had managed to catch a wolf.

"What are you waiting for?" the older woman mocked. " _Do it."_

Kira felt tears threatening to break through the mask she had decided would be most appropriate in the face of death, but she willed them back. Her fingers closed around the edge of the glass, about the same time her eyes did to avoid looking at the carnage she was about to cause to this woman's body.

' _I'm sorry.'_ she thought, but she didn't know whose ears the apology was intended for.

"Oi, no sle-" the woman was abruptly cut off as Kira gently wiggled the piece of glass from her flesh. Her powerful body shook with agony, sweat poured down her temples, and her fists were coiled so tightly on either side of Kira's head that her knuckles were stark white. Kira couldn't bring herself to kill her savior in such a foul way, but she wasn't going to stand by and allow her to have her twisted ways.

Jerking her left leg, she managed to execute a devastating knee. The blow hit the convict somewhere below the belt, she fell to her side cradling her searing groin. Kira used her moment of weakness to jump to her feet and provide some distance between the two. Her eyes searched for the gun she had discarded earlier, finding it halfway under the couch. She wedged it from the futon and shakily aimed it at her demon.

"Hehe," the woman's dark chuckle echoed throughout the silent room. She rose to a single knee, her face several shades paler than it had been earlier. "I underestimated you," she growled, "it won't happen again."

"S-stay back!" Kira hissed, waving the gun around. "I don't want to hurt you…"

"But I want to hurt you." she said with child-like awe, stumbling to her feet, she began to close the distance between them once more, like a wolf advancing on a corned caribou calf. The sound of the doorknob jiggling stopped the predator in her tracks. Her dark green eyes turned towards the door, her head tilting comically to the side like a dog… a _wolf._

"Kira? Are you awake? I've brought your favorite." her mother's lovely accented voice said from the other side. Kira didn't know whether to feel relieved or anxious.

"Do you normally bring strangers home… especially with no man around to protect you all? Is your father a coward?"

Kira felt a surge of anger course through her. Not at all like her. "My mother is far more capable of anything a man can do. We don't need one. But if you kill _me,_ my mother will _kill_ you. Please, just let me help you until you're fit for travel. Then you can leave. No one has to die."

"You speak of her as if she is a God." the woman said lowly, smirking wolfishly. "If that's the case, I have quite the score to settle. But you're mistaken my dear… everyone who is graced by my presence must die, or else my reputation will falter. I'll lose followers." she finished quite boredly. "But very well. I'll agree not to your terms, but at a price."

"Name it." Kira said confidently. "Hold on, mom!"

The woman smirked, advancing on her once more. Kira's nerves went haywire. "When my body is no longer weak, I'll take my leave." But she wasn't finished. "And you're coming with me." Kira didn't have a chance to reply - she was flabbergasted. The convict chuckled sinisterly again before making her way deeper into the basement and into the bathroom where she shut and locked the door. Kira took a few breaths to calm herself and tucked the gun back under the couch.

She quickly adjusted the pillows to hide the smears of blood on the futon, then jogged up the stairs. Putting on her game face, she opened the door and said, "Welcome home, mother!"

.

.

.

.

Inside the bathroom, the dark-haired woman tiredly collapsed on the toilet. Her wounds were on fire, specifically the gash in her back and the gunshot to her abdomen. If the bullet hadn't gone through, she'd be a lot worse off right now. Looking into the mirror, a tired and ruined yet stunning face stared back at her.

Frowning deeply, she reached into her pocket and pulled out an equally ruined dark grey iphone 6s. Dialing a number, she grabbed a nearby towel and began to clean away some of the dried blood that was beginning to make mobility difficult while she waited for an answer. More tattoos became visible with every swipe. She cleaned her chest, torso, arms, and face thoroughly. Finding a small medkit in the cabinet, she set upon patching her gunshot wound with gauze and a lot of antiseptic.

As the last smears of blood were wiped away, another tattoo surfaced. This one, however, was a symbol to all who knew its origin - the symbol of Underground royalty. Right above the raven-haired woman's left eye was another Japanese symbol, this time the number 5.

The call was picked up a few seconds later.

" _My Lord,_ " the recipient answered respectfully.

The convict smirked. "Miyu."

.

.

.

.

 **Tokyo, Japan.**

 **9:53pm.**

 **Tokyo Tower Monument.**

If she'd had known it was going to snow, she'd have brought a bigger jacket. However, complaining about the temperature, which was out of everyone's hands anyway, was not something she planned on doing. Still, the sight of the white power annoyed her to no end. If it weren't for the shelter of the towering legs of the Tokyo Tower, she'd be absolutely drenched.

She was a young woman, no older than fourteen at the most, just overstepping the threshold of puberty. She still had yet to fill out, but her body was in peak condition. At only the age of 14 she had the physique of an olympic trackstar. She had a gorgeous, angular face with bronzed skin, sharp, cat-like eyes, and lips that seemed almost a little too big for her face, but meshed perfectly with her stunning features no less. Her long black hair trailed in the snow behind her.

Her eyes, however, were the real eye-catcher. Her left eye lacked everything it needed to function; sight, color, etc, at the hands of a long, narrow scar that had stolen her vision. Her right was the opposite - gorgeous, emerald, intense, deadly. She had gotten carried away in an argument, and her father did not tolerate disrespect. A lesson learned.

She boredly kicked an old soda can as she waited. Ten minutes later, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was another woman - about five-nine, early thirties, pale, and had short silver hair. She was dressed from head to toe in the darkest shades of no-shine black, perfect for infiltration. "Finally," the girl mumbled, abandoning her post. She angrily walked up to the woman, her face twisted with fury.

"It's been almost a year, sensei. An entire year of searching and still nothing!" the frustrated young woman spat. Miyu said nothing, just watched the dark-haired girl have her little temper tantrum. "Where the hell is she!"

"I am uncertain," Miyu systematically reminded her for the billionth time. "It is getting late, Inu-sama. Your lessons will begin shortly. There will be time to vent another day. For now, keep it together. It is unbecoming of a Young Lord to whine."

The young woman grit her teeth. "Yes, sensei."

A private vehicle came for the two sometime after they fell into a brooding silence. Miyu's phone went off as the Young Lord strapped herself in. Miyu's cold red eyes flashed with surprise as she read the name on the screen. "Drop me off here," she said to the driver, who slammed on the brakes immediately. "Make sure she gets to her lessons on time. I will return shortly."

The driver nodded. Inu glared at her until the window were rolled all the way up. When the Monte Carlo pulled off, Miyu answered quickly. "My Lord."  
 **  
** _ **"Miyu."**_

"I trust your mission was a success?"  
 **  
** _ **"Machine Gun Kelly and his merry band of morons won't be a problem any longer. However, I ran into a bit of trouble."  
**_ **  
**"Trouble, sir?"

"Hideki Marguerite has a hit on me. Although, he'll need a new hitman now, I suppose. The last one won't be coming home for dinner. But I managed to get myself shot. My body won't hold up on the streets."

"I will send a team immediately, sir."  
 **  
"No. Not a team…. How is our little puppy?"**

"She is irritable, frustrated, and not at all happy with you. She might try to kill you when she finds you."  
 **  
"Excellent. I don't need an entire team. Just send my puppy… and my damn bike."**

"Your wish is my command, Lord Namikaze."

"And what have I told you about calling me that?"

"My apologies, Natsuki-sama."  
 **  
** _ **"Miyu."  
**_ **  
**"Natsuki."

"You will learn,"

Natsuki said before she abruptly dropped the call.

.

.

.

.

Natsuki tossed the phone out of the window after that. Keeping it on her would make her little game with her puppy too easy for her. Her puppy was far too impatient for her own good, she needed to learn patience if she wanted to be the prodigal tracker her father was.

She pressed her ear against the door. She could hear her newest pest and her mother speaking pleasantly. The girl was good, she gave her that.

Natsuki didn't really like kids, teens, or everything in between in general. Anyone who wasn't at least old enough to drink didn't matter much to her. But for some reason, she found herself enamored with her new toy. There was something eerily familiar green-eyed brunette. Green was the rarest eye color in the world, but for her to possess a shade so strikingly similar to her own was a bit mindboggling. And the mother's voice… just who were these people?

Her own curiosity was beginning to get the best of her… Besides, she'd done enough running over the past 9 months. Perhaps she could let up on Inu just a little…

She'd have to wait until the mother left to return to the basement where she'd force the girl to get her some new clothes and something to eat. She was fucking starving - mutilating motherfuckers took a lot out of you.

She just wished the two would hurry past their pleasantries. She hated seeing that _fucking_ name written permanently on her flesh.

.

.

.

.

 **Part 2. Later today maybe.**

 **First day of College today, wish me luck!**

Also, look out for a **#Smoke &Mirrors + #NRFTW update!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note:_

 _Hey guys, my bad for the delay (again). College has honestly been eating my little freshman ass alive. But like I said, I promise I'll never abandon my stories for the sake of you all and they sadly dying Shiznat Fandom. Smh, it's sad to see all these newer Yuri-anime watchers unskilled in the ways of classic Shoujo-ai. No disrespect to the creators or the fans of those Fandoms of course, but that's just my personal opinion. Now, enough of all that, let's get back to business._

 _Some things you should note, (hence the title) lately I've been vigorously contemplating my approach to Natsuki's character because I feel like the potential for her and the contents of this story could be limitless. The addition of her having a family just makes things the more deliciously complicated. I've decided to switch the point of view from third-person to first because I honestly feel like I could provide a deeper experience for you all. That being said, hope that stalls any questions you have about the title change (the Pack_ \- _Fury in My Eyes)._

Alright, really, here we go!

 **House of Wolves:**

 **Fury in My Eyes**

 **Chpt. VI: Those Tears Ain't Rea** l

" _I know the devil is real, I know the devil is real._

" _So I'll lie, steal, and kill if it'll guarantee my next meal._

 _And I hate to sound so heartless, but what's a girl to do_

 _when the only path is darkness."_

.

 _N. K._

I press my ear against the door trying to listen to the conversation going on between my latest pet and presumably her mother. However, they're too far away to actually make out what they're saying.

Although, I can hear the mother's responses. Classic loving mother. The way her voice constantly filters between affectionate and supportive, but takes a slight edge of hardness to it when she issues a command even though she _says please when asking_. The thought of me doing that only made me tilt my head.

Where have I heard that accent before? I've been so many places, (so many women) it should be easy for me to pinpoint it… unless it's from a place I haven't been for quite sometime.

Japan easily comes to mind because, frankly, I do everything in my power _not_ to be stuck in Tokyo. Not only is it gut-wrenchingly boring but, _is it gut-wrenchingly boring_. No one to kill, interrogate, or sabotage… Honestly, it's kind of sucks to be the worst thing to happen to Japan since the April Fool's Tsunami (if you dare compare the two), it means no one is going to try me.

Translation: act out of turn.

Someone might throw dirt on my name. That someone will most likely leave in a body bag. (The younger initiates tend to take their allegiance to me _very_ seriously). Well, that's everyone sworn into my syndicate, of course, but let's just say seasoned members don't usually get trigger-happy. The moral of the story is: _Japan is gut-wrenchingly boring and I do everything in my power not to be there._

I've been in the States for a little over a year now, tidying up my foreign affairs and whatnot. It's amazing how many people can suddenly grow a pair when I'm thousands of miles away. I do enjoy the vacations, however, I can't possibly deal with the same old scene for too long. Boredom kills.

She's definitely not a native of Tokyo. Their accents are rougher, filled with slang and ritius performance. But she must have grew up awfully close - there are certain words someone of her region would probably not understand - in her dialogue. Perhaps a friend of some sort. Who cares? I certainly…

Kyoto!

Of course. I swear I heard an _Ara…_

It occurs to me that someone I know or perhaps killed had the same accent. What a coincidence to be in the presence of another Kyoto-native. A pleasure too… the women of Kyoto are among the most beautiful Asia has to offer.

A wave of pain suddenly engulfs my body, and I lean against the door for support. Looking down at my stomach I can see practically see the wounds wounds burning and festering before my eyes. The hole where Machine Gun Kelly's bastard side-kick shot me is steadily oozing blood, soaking everything in its wake and painting it an awful shade of crimson that doesn't go with my shirt at all. The fever that's still melting holes in my skull has seemingly increased during my short burst of activity. I blame it on that infuriating girl's ability to somehow piss me off. She's someone's little shit alright.

And she was the first person to actually catch me off-guard in quite some time. Even my own puppy, who constantly tries to behead me as if I'm some terrible being, hasn't been able to achieve such a thing in all fourteen years of her existence.

Just as I was beginning to delve into another sulking fit, her voice penetrates the now silent air, further infuriating me. "Are you okay?" she asks in that sickeningly sweet voice of hers - far too innocent for my liking. "I have some clothes for you. They're my sister's." she pauses, as if she thinks I'm listening to her state- "you know, the one you tried to stab?"

Definitely someone's little shit.

I grit my teeth - because of the pain, mind you. "For one, you better be talking about the big one because I refuse to wear anything _you_ own. And two, I was never going to stand your sister."

A sigh of relief escapes her lips - "I was going to certainly beat her ass, but I didn't need a knife to handle some kid. If you _must_ know, I was going to use my knife to take out Pistol Pete before he could, you know, _shoot._ " I snap.

The silence that follows makes me tick with impatience. I snatch the door open and glare down at the girl, who's got her head down, clutching a pile of said clothes to her chest. She looks up at me as the sound startles her, her green eyes shiny with unshed tears. "You weren't going to stab her?" she asks.

I blink. Is she… hopeful? "I reached into Machine Gun Kelly's stomach and tied his intestines around his neck. Why on earth would I _stab_ someone in a brawl?"

"Hey," I growl, not at all the way her face breaks into a watery smile that matches her eyes. "What the hell are you so damn happy about?"

"You're not a killer." she whispers gratefully.

"You seriously need your eyes checked."

"No," she says, "you're a killer, but you're not a woman and child killer."

"What on earth gave you -"

She gestures to herself, and for the logical sake of things I hold my tongue. "My sisters were wrong about you."

What the hell gave her the audacity to believe that the opinion of a bunch of pampered sixteen year-olds matters to me. However, before she speaks again, she thrusts the clothes into my chest and bows in a customary Japanese manner of honor. Heh, smartest thing she's done all night, if you ask me.

"Thank you!" she gushes, further infuriating me because of the way her eyes light up as she regards me, her soon-to-be living nightmare, like all things good in the world. "My name is Kira."

"I know your name, girl."

"What's yours?"

"..."

"Well…" she peers at my stomach unabashedly, "... Ms. Namikaze?"

Something inside me snaps as she utters that name. With a feral growl, I let the clothes fall to the floor and descend upon the girl like the Holy Spirit, my arms lifting her by the shoulders easily as if she weighed nothing. Her happy eyes turn horrified - I feel control seeping back into my pores.

"Don't." I spat. "EVER say that name again. Do you understand?"

She nods frightfully in my grasp, and I unapologetically let her drop to the floor. She is unable to stand with her jelly-legs. I stumble away from her as my body aches in ways that makes it feel as though my nerves have been incarnated by the sun. I'm "jelly-legs" now as I fall to the floor, breathing like a dog dying of heat-stroke.

I must have lost my touch or I must not be doing something right because this girl absolutely _refuses_ to heed the signs. She rushes to my side, her hands gripping my shoulder - might as well go on and touch the Pope, amirite? "Let me see," she says firmly.

I push her away, even with one arm I am stronger than three of her. But she comes back like a rambunctious little puppy that doesn't understand _No._

"Stop it." she barked.

"Stop it." I mocked.

"STOP IT!"

"I can do this all day."

The ninth time I push her away, she comes back full-force, screaming "CANAVAR, STOP IT."

This girl. I'm shaking my head. But I'm too weak to continue. I have exhausted the last of my strength trying to keep her away, but it was all in vain. She must've read the word on my knuckles at some point. Interesting, she could read Azerbaijani. Not many people are even aware of its existence.

"Canavar is Azarbaijani for 'wolf'," she says confidently, and with a tiny smile - gross. "It's perfect for you."

"My sister's girlfriend is from Iran," she informs me for some reason, "I kinda forced her to tutor me in the languages there. I want to be a doctor so I'm trying to learn all the languages I can."

"Wonderful." I drawl, tilting my head away from her wandering hands. Damn it, she's too close. I feel as if I'm going to throw up - this sickness, how could it have come from my wounds this quickly!? My throat burns with bile, the same time my gunshot wound flares as I writhe in agony. Fuck.

I've ran out of time.

I've been ignoring the seriousness of my wounds for several days now. It was not Machine Gun Kelly who injured me - he hadn't even seen me coming, the poor bastard - no. I had faced a far worthier opponent before I had managed to hunt him down.

I had initially came to San Francisco to deal with a sticky, sticky, stain by the name of Playgirl Uzi. Her and her notorious gang of teen girls with nothing better to do had managed to steal an entire shipment of nuclear equipment - nuclear equipment I'd planned to steal. Long story short, mission accomplished, as usual. However, Machine Gun Kelly had been the man pulling all the strings - hence the gun references in their names.

Playgirl Uzi, however, was known for her obsession with blades. Smart girl. She'd managed to construct herself a glove fit with five seven inch long razor sharp, poisoned tipped blades. And she'd managed to get me. How? Like I said, far worthier than anything Machine Gun Kelly could have ever been. The poison hadn't worked - I've been poisoned far too many times in the past and have developed immunities to most.

My dumbass just let them get infected.

I tend to be a _bit_ careless at times, silly me.

"Canavar," she says again, softer. "You and I both know what's going to happen if you don't get treatment soon. Please, just let me help you." her faces twists with sadness. "I can feel your pain."

"You have no idea what pain is," I spat, once again inching away from her. Once again, she follows.

"I may not know your pain, but I want to ease it."

"Why?"

She smiles.

Yeah, she's someone's little shit. Someone's infuriating and beautiful little shit.

"Because I'd be in a whole lot more pain if it wasn't for you. And you kinda saved my sister."

"Give credit where credit is due."

"Okay, you saved my sister. You saved us, and for that, I promise I won't let you die."

"And if I wanted to die?"

She frowns, her head tilts to the side in an alarmingly familiar manner. "Do you?"

"Do you not?"

"You're going to."

"I forgot."

"Would that make you smile?"

"Will it destroy yours?"

"I always thought death was lonely."

"And If I told you there's worse?"

"I would ask you to tell me how." she says, finally able to touch me without my voluntary conflict. My skin is so hot it makes hers seem cold. She begins to look more and more out of focus with each passing second.

"How what…" I mumble.

"How dying alone isn't the worst thing to ever experience." the girl fumbles with her words as her anxiety increases. She's slowly but surely realizing her mediocre knowledge in the field of medicine won't be enough to save me. I'm not worried… perhaps I am enthralled by the way her hopeful expression shatters as she tears away at the remnants of my shirt.

That does it.

As soon as she lays eyes on the carnage on my chest, she is defeated. My gunshot wound isn't the worst in my opinion. It is the four seven inch long parallel gashes that sliced through my tan skin from left shoulder to my right hip. They're not fatally deep, but they are infected. I can practically feel the icky heat of bacteria coursing through my veins.

"I can't save you," she whispers dejectedly.

"No one can." I hiss.

She shakes her head as a tear slides down her left cheek. For some reason, I've lost the ability to shed tears from this eye. It is kind of fascinating to watch it descend down her face. "You're wrong."

"You're stuck in a fantasy," I growl, "people die. Grow up."

"You're not people!"

"Selfish!" I counter. "What makes me any different from anyone else in this fucked up world? Out of all the people that deserve your kindness, why waste it on me? I KILL. I LIKE to kill. I have a score to settle with God! You think death scares me!?"

"You have nothing to lose." she realizes. I hate the way her tone practically pulsates with sympathy.

"And you have EVERYTHING. It's some stranger from the gutter or your own flesh and blood. The choice is yours."

"My mother always told me to follow my heart and that's exactly what I'm doing!" she roars right back, somewhat startling me. "You don't get to tell me not to do something I love. I LIKE to save, got it? And Obviously you deserve my kindness for a reason so just shut up and let someone help you for a change, baka!"

Through my hazy mind, the only thing I can say is… "Baka…?"

"You look Japanese." she says shamefully, as if she isn't herself.

"I… can't even offended." I mumble as my head lolls to the side, the last of my strength depleted.

"Hold on, Canavar," she whispers, then tearfully adds, "I might not be able to save you, but my mom can. She's going to ground me for life, but you'll live to be an ass another day."

She bolts after that. Darkness clouds begins to dot my vision as thoughts of my slightly younger puppy invade my mind. If I die, she'll certainly kill me. I wonder what she'll do when she finds me this time? It hadn't ended well for the family I had hidden with last time. Hopefully, Miyu's taught her how to control that temper of hers. Can't really blame her, though. She gets that from her dad.

As my consciousness begins to seep away, I feel a pair of soft hands - larger and more slender - than the girl's envelope my face. Through one eye I manage to catch a glimpse of astonished crimson eyes, a stunningly familiar face, and tears sliding down this woman's cheeks.

"N...Nat...su...ki?" she utters breathlessly.

The last thought I had before I let myself embrace the all too familiar darkness was, _"How the hell does she know my name? Did I do that thing where I say my full name and nothing's gonna kill me on the brink of death again? Damn it.."_

 _.END_

 _YEOO. ←- Only the O.G.'s know where that's from! Haha, let me know how you like it! Much love, you all. Muah!_


	7. Chapter 7

It didn't rain much in Southern California, but the showers were relentless up north. The air was so cold it made her eyes water. Goosebumps burst from her flesh as the wind nipped lazily at her exposed skin.

It wasn't raining just yet, but the dispirited, melanoid clouds above promised moisture soon. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as the feeling of a warm, wet mouth closed around her rigid flesh, starting first at the tip before expertly making its way down the shaft of her hung appendage.

One hand tightened around the neck of the beer she'd been sipping on earlier while the other fisted itself in the dark locks of her partner, forcing her to take as much of her as she could. She found pleasure in the choking sounds her lover made, impressed by her perseverance trying to take all of her without splitting her jaw.

"Get up," she said, removing herself from the girl's mouth slowly, entranced by the way flesh glistened with saliva.

Her lover rose from her kneeled position as gracefully as she could after such a display. Her nipples were stiff and erect, tiny slivers of pink tissue visible from her engorged lips. Her perfect mouth curled into an inviting smirk as she turned and padded a short distance away, pressing her belly on the edge of the railing of their magnificent balcony. Thick, milky liquid dribbled down her thighs as she spread her legs, her head turning to fix her partner with intense grey eyes. "Have you forgotten what to do?"

"Hardly," the woman replied as she downed her beer and tossed it aside. Advancing on her partner, she took up a position directly behind her, using her larger frame to press her lover into the rail as a show of dominance.

"Then why am I still able to stand?"

"If you shut up for a second…"

"I'm cold," the woman whined, "and don't you dare cum in me, Reagan…"

Reagan slipped inside suddenly, effectively cutting off her rant. "Why not?"

"You… know why," the woman panted as Reagan began to move.

"Oh?" was the inquiry after a particularly hard thrust. "Enlighten me, Saeko."

"Why must you always insist on answering questions you know the answer to?"

Reagan chuckled dryly. "The same reason you choose to still let him fuck you knowing damn well he's not doing anything for you."

"Leave my husband out of this, Reagan." Saeko warned.

Reagan reached out and grabbed her ex-girlfriend by the hair roughly. "I've been trying to leave him out of everything. I just don't understand what he has that I don't. Because it's certainly not his skill in bed. You come over way too often."

"He wants another child."

That was enough to make Reagan stop thrusting all together. Saeko's fingers tightened on the railing. She'd been dreading that revelation for quite awhile. "And I can't risk the possibility of it being yours."

Saeko felt a sudden bout of emptiness surge through her as Reagan pulled out completely and tucked herself back in her jeans. "My kid…" Reagan shook her head sadly and stumbled away from the woman. "Of course. I just thought maybe you know after…"

"Don't." Saeko warned, tears in her eyes. "Reagan, don't you dar…"

"After _our_ kid died you'd stop lying to yourself…"

"Stop it…"

"Why can't you understand?" Reagan nearly yelled, her fists coiled tightly at her sides. "I love you Saeko, I've always loved you. We can…"

"NO!" Saeko shout back. Squeezing her eyes shut, she said; "we'll never be the same. Not like we were before."

"You don't even love him!"

"Who are you to tell me who I love?" Saeko marched over to Reagan and jabbed several fingers in her chest. "Am I supposed to just come running back to you after all these years? When I've worked so hard to move on from you, from us? You don't get to tell me who I do and don't love, Reagan, you left me! You abandoned me. You abandoned her. You abandoned us!"

"I wasn't ready!" Reagan shouted back. "I never abandoned you Saeko, I just wasn't ready to be a dad…"

"And you think I was ready to be a mom?" Saeko hissed. "You think I was ready to sacrifice everything I've ever worked for so suddenly? I wasn't, Reagan! I wasn't ready for the morning sickness, the swollen ankles, the constant need to pee, no amount of school or maternity magazines was going to help me…"

"Saeko…"

"Shut up, Reagan!" Saeko barked, already too far gone with her pent up anger to care. "You turned me away… how could you do that to me? I gave up everything to be with you."

Reagan's head hung in shame. "I… I wasn't ready. I just needed more time… I came to my senses."

"Oh you came to your senses," Saeko chuckled dryly, dabbing at the excess trails of mascara that were beginning to cake under eyes. "Nine years later… you didn't even look for me… you didn't look for us."

"..."

"I still remember the day she was born," the sobbing woman continued, "she looked just like you… she had your smile… your eyes… my perfect little girl that reminded me of the perfect woman who'd given her to me…"

"I wasn't…" Reagan began.

"You were perfect to me," Saeko said softly, "so very perfect. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you the moment you made love to me. You were always so strong, so fearless, so brave. I was prepared to come crawling back to you the moment you said it…"

"Come back to me," Reagan pleaded, seizing her ex-girlfriend's wrists and pulling her closer. Her green eyes were dark with agony. Saeko's heart lurched painfully in her chest. Reagan was well over six feet tall but she looked far too small at that very moment. Natsuki's death had shaken her to the very core.

"I can't," Saeko pulled away. "John is my husband. I have a duty to him as well as Alyssa."

"You had a duty to Natsuki too. You said I never came for you, you never came back for us. You left her on my doorstep with no explanation."

"She was my beginning," Saeko said sadly, "I wanted nothing more than to give her the best life, but I wasn't capable. You were the one voted Most Likely to Succeed in high school, and to this day I do not regret what I did. Because you did one hell of a job."

"How can you say that!" Reagan broke away, frustrated. "I did abandon her. Twice. I faked my fucking death. Who does that?"

"You had no choice," Saeko calmly touched her shoulder, "The Triads were going to hurt her and Shizuru and god knows who else."

"And I still couldn't protect her." the dark-haired woman's body shook violently. Her eyes bore searing holes into the palms of her hands. "It's like I can still feel her slipping through my fingertips every single time. How are you supposed to live with this pain…."

"I miss her," Reagan sniffled, "I want my kid back. I want my family back."

Saeko dressed quickly. Their interactions were always like this, a constant equilibrium of unstable emotions. "I know… I'd give anything to have her here, alive." she smiled softly. "She would be so proud of them." the business woman tried another smile, but unlike the first it failed miserably. "I have to go."

"Saeko… please…" Reagan pleaded as she gently held the woman in place by her arm. Slowly, the statuesque woman lowered herself onto her knees. "Don't leave me."

"I'm sorry, Reagan," Saeko choked out, turning to flee. "This is the end."

She reached the door in record time. However, if she'd known she'd be face-to-face with one of the last people she wanted to see her in this state, a delay would've been inevitable. Saeko found herself staring mortified into Namiko's wide, tearful grey eyes.

"Oh Namiko," Saeko whispered, reaching out to touch her. She wasn't surprised but found herself hurting anyway when the teenager flinched.

"Kid…" Reagan started.

"You knew…" Namiko said, heart-broken. She looked a lot younger than she should've with her eyes shining like that. "You knew about my dad this whole time and you guys still let us believe that she was out there somewhere."

"Please, Namiko," Saeko tried to reason, "we didn't want to hurt you…"

"So you kept the death of one of the most important people in my life a secret?!" Namiko demanded. It was Saeko's turn to flinch now. She'd never heard the normally easy going, laid-back teen raise her voice like that, especially at her own grandmother.

"Namiko, calm down." Reagan seized her granddaughter's tightly coiled fists.

"Let me go!" the younger woman spat, pushing against Reagan's chest with all her might. When Reagan refused to grant her request of personal space, Namiko's anger and frustration got the better of her. Her knuckles slammed into her grandfather's sternum hard enough to force Reagan to her knees and vomit up all the liquor she'd drowned herself in earlier.

"Reagan!" Saeko cried, rushing to her aid. Namiko looked down at both of them with disgust and betrayal in her eyes.

"Natsuki…" Reagan mumbled as the image of her dead daughter appeared beside her own. When she was upset, which wasn't very often, Namiko could be Natsuki's twin. Namiko shook her head in dismay before reaching into her hoodie pocket and tossing a dark blue envelope at Reagan's feet. She stormed away after that, ignoring the anxious calls of her grandparents.

"Fuck," Reagan punched the ground. "She'll never trust us again."

Saeko's head dropped to Reagan's shoulder, her body vibrating with sadness as the older woman fumbled with the envelope Namiko had left in her grasp. " _Happy Father's Day… Love, your favorite pup…"_ she read, each word equivalent to a gunshot to the thigh. "I fucked up…" Reagan trembled in Saeko's arms. "I fucked up, I fucked up, I fucked up."

"Oh, Reagan," Saeko steadily rocked the sobbing woman in her arms. She knew she couldn't just leave Reagan alone after what just happened. She'd drink herself into a coma. But at this point she couldn't even find words to comfort herself.

.

.

.

.

Have you ever woke up from a long nap angry beyond comprehension for no apparent reason?

Angry beyond comprehension does little to express what I actually feel inside. As I drift back into consciousness, I'm immediately greeted by aching pains throughout my entire body. I groan softly as memories of this past week's events flooded through my mind.

Killing top dogs Playgirl Uzi, Machine Gun Kelly, and Pistol Pete all in one night, annihilating the remaining members of a rowdy Bay Area gang who were threatening negotiations between a Chinese drug lord and I, intercepting that truck full of nuclear equipment, then…

That girl.

My eyes crack open, blinking rapidly a few times to correct my distorted vision. The first thing that occurs to me is that I'm not wearing the same clothes I came in. In fact, I'm barely wearing clothes. My entire torso is wrapped tightly in thick white bandages that looked freshly changed. My left arm, starting from my shoulder to my fingertips is also tightly wrapped, but I found that I still had flexibility and mobility in my hands and fingers.

I'm also wearing a pair of dark blue joggers that were a bit too tight for my liking. Someone will burn for that.

A flash of brown catches my eye. I turn my head to the left, and imagine my surprise when I find that I'm not alone in this bed. There's a slumbering woman hunched over a chair near the edge of the bed. Her cheeks and nose are flushed, inclining me to believe that she's spent the better half of the crying.

How unfortunate… for her.

I rise from the bed as silently as possible, nearly falling on my ass when my legs threaten to buckle. Shit, must've been immobile for a while. Another flash of brown catches my eye, but unlike before I immediately knew who it was. The girl emerges from somewhere in the backroom carrying a sports bag that's much too large for her.

I march over to her.

As she sees me approaching, her face begins to light up, but quickly falls when she catches wind of the state of my mood. "Canavar, wait," she pleads.

"You really don't listen, do you," I growl, snatching the bag out of her grasp and tossing it aside. "We had a deal."

"I know, I know," the girl rushes out, backpedaling now, "but you were going to die! My mom saved you!"

"But who's going to save you?" I cooed, grabbing her by the shoulders and hauling her eye-level with raw strength. Plus, she isn't that big and probably only weighs ninety pounds.

Her small hands tighten around my wrists as she begs to be let go. But…

There's something strange about this girl… I just can't point my gun at it… I study her face intently, starting with her vivid green eyes, then her long honey-brunette hair, her small nose, and full lips. Her beauty is far too delicate, far too feminine… she reminds me of a doll. I hate dolls.

When my eyes return to hers, I'm surprised to find her staring back at me with nearly the same amount of intensity. Frightened, but ever so curious…

"I'm glad you're okay," she says with a wince that contradicts her gentle smile. "You were gone for a minute, you know."

"Hm."

She takes my uninterested hum as means to continue. "Actually, a lot longer than a minute. Five minutes to be exact. You stopped breathing at 4:15. My mom was able to bring you back, though. She's been up for days watching over you…"

"Why are you telling me this?" I inquire as I press her roughly against the wall. "Am I supposed to just change my ways just because you did me what you think was a favor? A life for a life? It doesn't work like that in the real world, sweetheart."

"Canavar!" she shouts as my grip tightens.

"If you must know… my name is…"

"NATSUKI!"

I whip my head around as my name falls from foreign lips. That just made me all the more angry. The woman who'd been sleeping on the bed earlier had finally awaken. She's staring at me with horrified crimson eyes.

"Crimson eyes," I whisper, "how strange."

"Let her go, Natsuki," she says in a strained voice, but the melodic lilt to her lightly accented tone wasn't lost.

I chuckle darkly. What is it with these brunettes… thinking they can order _me_ , Lord Kruger of the Yakuza around on a whim? "Or what?"

She settles into an offensive fighting stance which I immediately recognize as Taijutsu. My interest in the girl all but vanishes as I mentally claim rights to this woman. I drop the girl none-too-gently. She scurries over to her mother, who wraps her up in a big hug and kneels before her. "Go on, I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? She kind of has a temper."

I snort.

Her mother smiles. "Nothing I haven't handled before. Now, go on. Have a good day, I love you."

"I love you too." she tells her before throwing a glare over her shoulder, directed at _me_ mind you, almost as if saying "you hurt her, I hurt you." Adorable.

"You sure you want to dance? I'd hate to ruin such a pretty face." I smile darkly as excitement courses through my veins. I haven't felt so… stimulated in ages!

Her beauty is enough to put someone in a trance. Long, wavy golden hair, intense yet kind wine-colored irises, milk-white skin free of any blemishes, and the physique of someone who enjoyed exercise. I opt for a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu stance.

"Oh, Natsuki," she says emotionally, "What's happened to you?"

"You say that like you know me," I reply as we circle each other.

She flinches, but I have yet to strike. Looking closely, I can practically see the gears churning in her head, the agony swirling in her eyes. "You don't recognize me."

"Should I?" I inquire boredly. "Let's get this over with, sweetheart. I've got places to be, people to kill, you know how it works."

She looks positively sick to her stomach, which amuses me to no end. "She told me you saved her."

"She needs to get her facts straight. Only reason I pushed her down was because if she'd gotten killed they'd have traced it back to me and blamed it on me. Prefer to keep the heat off me, you know?"

"She means nothing to you…"

"None of you do." I spat. "Now fight me, woman."

Broken eyes raise up to meet mine. "You're not her… you've changed… you're dangerous. I can't let you leave, Natsuki."

My irritation returns. "Then this is the end."

.

.

.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

**WARNING:**

 **EXPLICIT CONTENT.**

 _Previously..._

 _Broken eyes raise up to meet mine. "You're not her… you've changed… you're dangerous. I can't let you leave, Natsuki."_

 _My irritation returns. "Then this is the end."_

 **Chapter Eight:**

 **Toxicity**

N. K.

There's still reluctance lingering in her vampiric irises. She doesn't want to 'hurt' me. I doubt she even wants to raise her hands against me in the first place, but unlike her incredibly naive daughter, she is very aware of the threat in the house, which so happens to be me.

"Only natives of Fuuka still practice that branch of Taijutsu," I concur after analyzing her stance.

"I know," she whispers, eying me with a strange sense of familiarity. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up under her intense gaze. There's something eerily familiar about that woman, too, and I hate to admit it, but like the girl, she puts me on edge as well. I need to make this quick. I dislike the bottomless feeling now surging through my gut.

Seeing as how she didn't even want to really fight me, I attack first. She's faster than I expected, and is able to dodge my testing blow with ease. She's a pro. I can tell by the way she dances on the tips of her toes and she glides through the air. I decide to turn it up a notch, expertly swinging with both arms now.

Still, she manages to dance around me, unscathed!

Winded because of my injuries, I smirk and take a preparatory step backwards. My ribs feel like they're moving everytime I move, my gut burns with the remainder of the bullet that was once lodged in there, and my knees might give out, but the want… the need to face her is overwhelming. I feel the excitement building in the pit of my belly as she changes her stance from old Taijutsu to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu like mine.

"Amazing," I breathe as we go at it again. She matches me blow for blow, kick for kick, knee for knee. It's almost as if she knows what I'm going to do before I do…

As one of my more serious punches nearly catches her in the cheek, she opts to switch from defensive to offensive. Her left hand curls into a tight fist and smashes into the palm of my waiting hand. I catch her right hand in a similar way and hold her captive with my superior strength and gaze. "Who taught you to fight?" I lean in closer, watching as her cheeks redden and her eyes become all the more vulnerable. What a pity. Her emotions will be her downfall.

However, she doesn't shy away from my invasion of her personal space. She simply angles her chin forward, our lips nearly touching. "You did." she said.

"Liar," I growl.

Sensing an attack from below, she hurriedly breaks away from my hold and adopts a different stance. It also pipes my interest… It's not a martial art, but, "Squabbling?" I echo, recognizing the style immediately. My excitement reaches an all-time high, spreading through every limb with the speed of light.

Squabbling is a fighting style most prominent in Southern California. It's derived from common street fighting and consists of quick, high-powered, and reckless attacks. It's an art of gritty style and crazy moves. I'd never have expected someone like her to know of such a thing…

"You're just full of surprises," I say, licking my lips. "Very well." I settle into the same stance and beckon her forward.

The trick to winning a Squabble is to not get hit while simultaneously delivering all the blows, much like fighting in general, but Squabblers didn't necessarily possess any defensive skills, so everything's high-risk, high-reward.

There's just one problem: I can't touch her anyway. She's way too skilled defensively. I'm more of an offensive fighter. "You're the only person who's lasted longer than five minutes with me. Good job." I clap sarcastically as I try to provoke her, which allows me to buy time to figure out how to deal with her effectively.

"Why are you doing this?" she inquires sadly.

"To be fair, you started it." I shrug. "My business is with the girl, not you."

"She is my business, she's ou… my daughter."

"Just stubborn, all of you!" I frown. "But just like I told her, I'll tell you. I'm going to kill whomever I please, whenever I please, however I please, and for whatever reason, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

She surges forward, eyes blazing with pain and frustration. "What has she done to you!" There's a new type of fire in her eyes. Her fist connects with my jaw far too quickly for me to even realize what's happening. She follows up with two jabs of the opposite hand, a knee to the sternum, an elbow to the ribs… Jeez.

Blood falls from the corners of my mouth as she lowers herself to the ground. Using her hands to stabilize herself, she uses her upper body strength to pivot around, essentially using a breakdancing kick to send me crashing to the floor. My eyes were so wide with shock, they burned.

She straddles my waist then, pinning my wrists above my head in a submission I could easily get out off, but…

"That move…" I ground out, staring wildly into her crimson eyes. I haven't been so fucking speechless in decades… "Where did you learn that move?!"

She doesn't say anything.

Frustrated, I used my superior strength to flip her over. I'm now straddling her. My long, dark hair falls against her flushed cheeks. She reaches out to tuck them behind my ear. I wrench my head away from her touch. "Where. Did. You. Learn. That. Move!"

"Oh Natsuki," she says, tears spilling over her cheeks. She holds onto the ends of my hair tightly. "You did. You taught me everything except how to live without you…"

"What the hell are you saying?" I spat. "I don't know you, lady, or your fucking kids, and y'all don't know me.

"How can you say that," she grips my shoulders tightly, "it's me, my love. Shizuru. Your fiancee… don't you remember?"

What the hell? "Listen, I don't know what kind of fucked up fantasy you and your kid are living in where I'm some kind hero or whatever, but you've got it all wrong. There's nothing heroic about me, sweetheart."

She flinches as if struck! Her hands fall from my shoulders. Shizuru… The name ricochets off every corner of my mind, but does not register… yet, every trail she forges into my skin burns like fir. My memories offer no recollection of this woman, but why do I feel as though I knew every curve, every dip, every mound, decorating her body?

"You suffered from night terrors when your fever was at its peak," she tells me. "The third night you kept mumbling about a giant fire-breathing serpent…"

I barely contain a grimace. The hydra of my dreams… or should I say my nightmares, a feat that has been haunting me for as long as I can remember. Its significance has always managed to elude me.

Her pale fingers ascend to the lapels of the flimsy nightgown I had not noticed she adorned before. It falls from her shoulders easily, her eyes darting back up to meet mine at the same time the final silk piece hits the carpet beneath us. My eyes search her naked body for any signs of deception, finding nothing but untouched skin, dusky nipples, and…

"You encouraged me to get this tattoo," she murmurs, her fingers gliding along the planes of the same giant, fire-breathing serpent the color of a codeine shot from my dreams… " _Kiyohime,"_ she breathes, her upper body rising from the floor. Suddenly, her lips are only centimeters away from mine. She's breathing when I breathe… far too close.

Her naked skin is hot against mine as she wordless offers her body to me. I can feel her heart thudding in her chest. Her hands move further down south, touching me in a place that had long since gone rigid. I hiss slightly, but sheer pride keeps me from tearing my face away from hers. "I hope you still have it," she husks into my ear.

If she's talking about what I think she's talking about… then…? "Who are you?" I breathe against her lips.

Her fingers swirl around the head of my dick triumphantly, where the ball of a piercing rested easily in the stiff flesh. I honestly don't remember getting it, but I have also found no reason to get rid of it. Its presence is appreciated, and not all entirely by me. "I'm yours," she whispers back as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

She pushes against my chest and my pulsating curiosity lets her. Crawling into my lap, she crashes her lips against mine, her soaking thighs bleeding through my thin sweats as she rubs her engorged lips against my stiff flesh. She tastes faintly of peppermints of strawberry lip balm. My own hands dig into the ample flesh of her hips as I pull her against me.

On strength alone I manage to rise with her in my arms, carrying her to the bed where I proceeded to drop and pounce. Her eyes, burning with lust and another emotion I dare not distinguish, do not leave mine as my unforgiving hands snatch her by the ankles and pull her throbbing heat level with my chin. "Natsukiiiii," she moans, her fingers tweaking with her stiff nipples.

"Don't call me that," I warn her, before I dig in.

The first stroke of my tongue has her hips rising from the bed. Throwing my hair over my shoulder, I continue to alternate between hard, fast strokes and slow deep circles with my tongue. My lips enclose around her clit, sucking with fervor. "Natsuki… baby…"

"Shut up."

When she's at the peak of her arousal, I stop. Her expression deems me cruel at first, but as I shrug out of my borrowed sweats it twists with anticipation. I place my left hand my her head while my right teasingly running the tip of the piercing against her pulsating clit… "Natsuki," she boldly grips me by the back of the neck, her fingers tangling harshly in my dark hair… My dick throbs harder… No other woman had dared touch me in such a way…!

I coat my cock with her wetness before slipping in. "Fuck," I hiss as her walls squeeze it with all her might. She throws her head back in pain… she's probably never had anyone as big as me judging by the state of her muscle. Not a monster, but I possess an admirable length and thickness, and a wicked curve that compliments the jewel in my the family jewels.

I can't explain it… being inside of her is unlike anything I've ever felt. The way she's looking at me as I tear her apart… Blood dribbles down my collarbone… her nails are wreaking havoc on my back, but it is all but a dull sting to me. Her eyes hold me captive… I begin to move to try and break her spell. "I was wrong, I was wrong," she moans out in ecstasy over the sound of our hips meeting and clashing wildly with our intimate dance. "What… are you saying?" I hiss, my eager hands enclose around her delicate throat as I continue to slap into her, making sure the piercing hits her g-spot and cervix simultaneously every single time.

Her hands wrap around the hand that's about her throat, but she doesn't move it. She holds onto me tighter. "You are her… My love, you've returned. My prayers have been answered. Natsuki…"

"Shut up!" I spat as I abruptly turn her over, unable to bear the heat of her gaze any longer. If I am the Ice Queen… then I have finally met the Sun Goddess. My thumbs find register in her back dimples as I watch my soaking muscle enter and exit her. Alarm bells in my head begin to go off as my own climax manifests in my gut. I'd never reached a climax so quickly. The only thing going through my mind was…

This woman… she excites me. My body has never felt so alive.

"Natsuki, Natsuki!" I press the back of her neck down against the bed.

"Shizuru, huh…"

"Fuck," I whisper as I erupt inside of her. She comes a hair's-breath of a second later, our combined essences making a mess of her thighs and the bed. Sweat drips down my temple… when's the last time I sweated during sex… I can't remember and that baffles me.

She lay trembling beneath me, still under the effects of her orgasm. The sheets were crumpled from where she'd been gripping them along with a bit of saliva on the pillow she'd used to muffle her screams. I take notice of the state of her body as I wait to catch my breath. Already, bruises are beginning to form along her hips and thighs from where I gripped her too hard, but as she looks over her shoulder and pierces me with her gaze with far too much intensity to simply ignore.

"Shizuru," I whisper aloud.

She smiles, and once again offers soul to the devil.

.

.

Across town…

A rather chipper individual raised her hand to knock on an expensive looking door. However, after fifteen minutes of standing out in the rain she finally decided to just use her spare key. "I tried to be a decent friend and knock before walking in on the orgy I know is going on here, but you guys leave me no choice." she said, unlocking the door.

The scene she was met with was not at all what she envisioned. "Woah, RJ, what happened?" she cried upon seeing her half sister sitting in a chair in nothing but a bra and jeans while Saeko fussed over her. There was a huge dark bruise painting nearly the entire tan plain of her abdomen.

"Namiko," Reagan hissed out painfully as Saeko applied some sort of ointment to her bruises. Her short dark-hair was plastered against her face with sweat.

"She lost control?" Riku barked, alarmed.

"It's my fault," Reagan said, "she found out about Natsuki."

Riku knees gave out. "Fuck… how?"

"She heard us arguing," Saeko said, putting emphasis on the 'us.'

"Damn, damn, damn," Riku grumbled. "Where is she?!"

"I don't know! She stormed off… Shit, we have to find her… agh."

"Reagan!"

"RJ!"

"Your organs might be bruised," Saeko said worriedly. "We have to get you to a hospital."

"Fuck that, we have to find her before somebody gets hurt," Reagan practically begged them, "the nanomachines are feeding off of her anger. The more frustrated she gets the more powerful she will become. And no one on the street will be safe."

"You're right," Riku agreed. "You know what Yoko and Mashiro said. The nanomachines have been manifesting inside those four for years since the Fire. Theoretically speaking, there is no limit to the potential of the girls' power, especially a hot-head like our granddaughter."

"She's turned off her phone," Saeko informed them.

"Do either of you know where she might go? A friend's house maybe?"

"Good thinking, Riku. Look, I know you and Arianna are trying to keep things low key since she just gave birth to little Rynn, but she's Namiko's best-friend and if anyone knows where she is, it's her."

"Right, I'm on it," Riku said.

"Do you really think she'll hurt somebody?" Saeko whispered to Reagan.

Reagan gave her a pained smile. "No, but she gets that temper from her dad so it's always good to keep it in check. I'm more so worried about the influence of the nanomachines."

"The adrenaline will be like a drug for her." Saeko agreed. "We have to tell Shizuru."

"I know," Reagan said, "I just hope she'll forgive me one day."

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Later…

We went at it for hours…

When we started it was about mid-afternoon. Now it was about midnight. The girl had come sniffing around earlier, but had been shooed away by her mother in the midst of her fourth orgasm. She now lay wrapped around me, her arm slung possessively over my waist… I don't know how long I allowed myself to lay there, but eventually I grew tired of her presence and the mysteries it brought with it.

With no regard for her comfort I push her away and promptly show her my back. Her sleepy voice sounds seconds later. "Natsuki?" she questions.

"Begone," I said in a voice so cold I swore ice begin to form along the contours of her face.

"Natsuki I-"

"I said _begone_." I repeat. She senses the underlying warning in my rapidly souring mood. She gathers her things and wordlessly excuses herself, but not before lovingly running her palms of her hands along the smooth, muscled skin of my back as a goodbye. My stiff muscles did not relax until the door clicked shut. My mind is nothing but an instagram all about her. I can still feel her…

And I hated it…

"Why didn't I pull out?" I question myself aloud. I never usually came inside any of my partners. Well, to be fair not many of them have actually managed to make me climax, but she had… multiple times… I was sure when she walked she still had trails of _me_ leaking out of her core. If she could sustain a walk long enough to hide the limp she'd obviously been burdened with.

A child would mean nothing to me. I already have an heir. Besides, I planned to take my leave soon, anyway. Whatever happens to the lot of them will be no sweat off my back after that. But in the meantime, I would enjoy my latest plaything.

There's just one more thing. In a particular instant when she had been riding me like her life depended on it, as her breasts bounced in my face and the hydra of my dreams glaring holes into my soul, a name had floated into my mind.

" _Viola."_


	9. Chapter 9

_Brandonhult- "I'm Starting to Feel Whole Again"_

 _IX_

 _"When I met you I felt we should be together always."_

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It was nearly 3 A.M. when the front door of the Kruger mansion swung open, revealing a sopping wet, dark-haired teen on a mission. Namiko's furious eyes swept across the perimeter of the living room like a starving hawk searching for prey.

Her long fingers curled into her palm, forming a irritable fist capable of pummeling anything that rubbed her the wrong way, which at this very moment seemed to be everything.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so angry. Suddenly, Kaya's act of cruelty regarding her carefully cultivated progression through _Skyrim: Remastered_ , (she'd gone and deleted all of her sister's saves after a banter between the two), didn't seem so bad.

Given that the circumstances were not at all similar, but joining every single faction, clearing all caves, collecting dragon souls, and testing mods took time!

The living room was abandoned, the only indication that someone had occupied it beforehand were the pillows strewn hazardly on the sofa. The youngest Kruger scoffed loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she struggled to keep her composure.

"Deep breaths, deep breaths," she hissed softly, trying to remember the protocols her mother went through to keep her stable when her anger spiked. But it backfired terribly. She was so upset with her mother, she didn't even think she could look at her, much less think of her.

Suddenly, a loud crackling noise pierced the air, similar to the sound of sauteing food over a stovetop. However, there wasn't a soul in the kitchen. Ghastly wisps of steam rose high in the air as the moisture on Namiko's skin began to evaporate.

Her body temperature was rising at an alarming rate, the result of her deep-rooted fury. She threw off her jacket, the fire beneath her skin made her feel stuffy and suffocated. She stumbled up the stairs, tears blurring her vision, causing her to miss steps and bang her knees on the steps, but she couldn't feel anything but a sickness swirling in her gut, bile in her throat, couldn't hear anything but the blood roaring in her ears.

"Easy, mom, I've got you."

Her elder sister's voice stopped her in her tracks. What was she doing up this late? And her mother as well? She paused, leaned against the rail, and listened.

There was a serious of scuffs, as if someone was dragging their feet, and soft whimpers of pain. Namiko's anger suddenly began to evaporate, much like the rain on her skin had earlier. It sounded like her mother or sister was hurt. She climbed the rest of the handful stairs in one, athletic leap, heart beating erratically for a different reason now.

Rounding the corner, the teen felt the blood drain from her face at the scene before her. "Mom…" she whispered, rushing forward.

Shizuru was leaning heavily on her eldest sister with her opposite arm braced against the wall for additional support. Her stunning features were twisted with pain, a full bottom lip subjected to abuse between her teeth. Namiko felt her anger return, but for a completely different reason.

"Mom! What's wrong?" she cried, catching the woman just as her knees gave out.

Shizuru didn't reply. She shook erratically in her daughter's arms, as if cold beyond comprehension. Tears welled in the corners of her striking eyes, and she couldn't help but dig her fingers into Namiko's broad shoulders.

"Mom!" Namiko hissed again, then looked to Kira when she was once again offered no explanation.

"She won't tell me what's wrong either," Kira said, perplexed. "I found her like this ten minutes ago."

Namiko's eyes returned to her trembling mother, heart sunken deep in her gut she felt like she might throw it up and choke on it.

"Who did this…?" Namiko whispered after a few precious moments of studying her mother's body.

Kira remained silent, but her eyes were wide horror. She'd done her fair share of analyzing too, and wasn't so naive that she couldn't tell that the dark purple abrasions littering her mother's neck and shoulders were hickies.

But these lovebites looked anything but, rather painful in Kira's opinion but she didn't go around giving nor did she receive any to know anything other than her grandfather, (if not first her mother), would kill her if she ever came home with them.

However, the bruises weren't limited to the hickies. There were various places on her body were the abused skin formed slender handprints.

"So… hot…" an agonized moan was nearly lost in Namiko's sweater. The frightened teen looked down to see her mother tearing at her clothes, her skin rapidly dampening with sweat.

"Mom, wait, we'll take you to your room. You don't want to be out naked in the middle of the hallway." Namiko reasoned, seizing her wrists.

"Shit!" Namiko suddenly cried out in pain, snatching her hands back as if burned.

She looked at her palms. Already, they were raw and blistering.

She had been.

"Namiko!" Kira cried worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she responded through gritted teeth. "What's up with the nanomachines? They're doing some serious house cleaning in there."

"I don't know," Kira admitted, "but they're not doing a good job. Look." she pointed to the darkest bruise she could see, located where Shizuru's neck met her shoulder.

"Why aren't they healing?!" Namiko was even more disturbed now. "First of all, how did she even get these bruises? We all know no normal person can physically harm us…"

"... So whoever did this must have nanomachines in their body too. It's the only explanation other than…" Kira trailed off, such a possibility seemed highly unlikely.

"But why would mom do this to herself? She promised us she'd never do that again…" Namiko said, eyes filling with tears as dark memories threatened to resurface.

"Even if she had… her injuries should've healed by now…" Kira replied. It just didn't make any sense to her. Nothing seemed to be adding up. However, the teen had enough sense to know that they weren't exactly in the position to be contemplating the seemingly countless complications in her head when their mother needed medical attention.

"I'll call grandma and grandpa. Hopefully, Obaa-san's with them too," Kira decided. Namiko's eyes flashed with indignation, but held her tongue. She wasn't selfish enough to quarrel with her mother when she was so vulnerable.

"In the meantime, take her to the bathroom and give her an ice-bath," the eldest Kruger instructed, "we need to lower her body temperature before she suffers some serious brain damage."

Namiko nodded shakily, unable to quell the sick feeling in her gut. Her watery grey eyes returned to her mother once more. Her trembling had noticeably worsened, and her skin was so slick with sweat her tawny locks and silk nightgown stuck to it like a primer coat.

Gently, she gathered the shaking mess in her arms and made a beeline for the bathroom.

Kira watched them go with a dark expression on her face. Swiftly, she rose to her feet and began padding in the opposite direction. She made sure to be extra quiet, not wanting to wake Kaya or Alex at the moment.

She wanted to inform her sister of their mother's condition as quickly as possible, but first there was something she had to do.

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her, she disappeared down the stairwell that led to the lavish basement. She found that it was eerily silent upon entering, and felt a shiver rattle her bones as thoughts of the danger lurking beneath began to surface.

" _Canavar_?" she whispered shakily. "It's me, Kira. I just want to talk."

It was a lie.

She wanted to yell and scream at the dark-haired woman, hurling promises of punishment for doing that to her mother. She knew without a doubt those claw marks belonged to the wolf.

There was no response.

Kira's composure was rapidly disintegrating. She just couldn't fathom how the wolf had managed to hurt her mother. She once witnessed a vile woman attempt to slap her mother for refusing a proposal when she was five. That woman ended up leaving in a fit of tears and rage, along with a broken carpals.

She'd never forget the blank, unimpressed stare Shizuru had gave her afterward. Completely unbothered. If there was ever a definition that could describe her mother it'd be just that.

The air heavy with the scent of something musky, the room hot and stuffy like a gym after three. Kira nearly gagged on it.

She duly noted that the bed was empty, and… stained in various places. The pillows were strewn hazardously across the king-sized comforter, which itself lay in tattered remains along with the sheets, almost as if someone had clawed right through the fabric.

There were also various streaks of crimson.

Blood.

She desperately hoped it wasn't her mother's, but she hadn't found any open wounds on her before. It had to be the wolf's; her injuries, though improving, were still far too tender.

"Canavar?" she tried again, venturing down the dark hallway, where the bathroom and laundry room was located.

Bingo.

The bathroom light was on. Kira took a few deep breaths before continuing, and recalled her mother's self-defense training. She didn't want to hurt anyone, she vowed to never use her abilities to harm a soul. But she would defend herself to the very end.

But just how good would her abilities be when it really came down to it? She wasn't a prodigal martial artist like her mother. She hadn't mastered every form of combat in just under two decades. "Canavar," she tried again, duly noticing how similar _Canavar_ was to _Carnivore._ How fucking fitting.

She inched around the corner, fearful green eyes peering anxiously into the bathroom. "Oh my god," she breathed, hand rapidly rising to clamp over her mouth.

The wolf's head lifted as she heard the familiar frightened statement. A low, primal group erupted in her throat just as blazing emeralds pierced her own. "You… little... Shit!" she roared, lunging manically for the teen.

"Agh!"

Kira watched the woman falter mid-step as her knees caved in. She fell to the ground with a harsh thud, breathing heavily and trembling like a wounded animal. "W-what did she do?" the dark-haired woman moaned in agony, clutching at her gut as if she were about to spill its contents. "My… body won't… agh!"

She curled in on herself as she was racked once more with violent chills that seemed to freeze her joints in place. Her blood felt like ice-water beneath her clammy flesh, teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Kira was stunned into silence. Her eyes took in every detail of the convict's form. Much like her mother, she was sporting painful looking bruises and hickeys that somehow looked far worse than the one's on her mother's skin. There were deep, deep red marks covering almost the entirety of her back and shoulders, as if someone had used her flesh and body as an anchor to hold on to.

' _Just what the hell is going on,'_ the teen moaned internally. ' _She's showing the same symptoms as mom…'_

Dropping to her knees a relatively safe distance away from the downed woman, Kira's hand sought out her forehead. Much like Namiko had earlier, she snatched her appendage back. ' _Her skin is ice-cold. Too cold for anyone to survive without a nasty case of hypothermia or frost-bite. Her fingers are already turning blue… Oh, what am I to do?'_

"Hold on," she murmured, dashing back into the living space to grab a fluffy blanket. She returned seconds later, draping the cloth over the dark-haired woman's quivering form.

"What did she d-do…" the wolf rasped again, emerald eyes dark with agony.

Kira wished she had an answer. The only thing she was certain of was that her mother had finally given into her temptations and laid with the wolf. Oh, she'd seen it, alright. Having been her mother's right hand as she aided her in patching up and watching over their injured charge, she'd gotten the message, pretty quickly.

There were touches that far exceeded that of a concerned doctor. Lingering touches that, in Kira's Fanfiction induced opinion, were supposed to elicit goosebumps with a rather selfish possessiveness of a woman adamant about what was _hers._

Never until this day had Kira pegged her mother as the jealous-type.

… Or for her to be attracted to whole 'bad girl' thing…

God, they really were mother and daughter.

Anyway, if the lingering touches and _affectionate_ , for lack of a better term, glances her mother showered the wolf with wasn't the piece of straw that covered the camel's back, it had been the outright _tears_ her mother had shed after patching Canavar… or ' _Natsuki'_ was the _only_ name she'd heard her mother call her.

No, Kira wasn't as naive as people (*cough* her sisters *cough*) made it seem when it came to… _intimacy._ God, when she said anything but _sex_ it just made her sound like the prude she was…

She'd never seen her mother so out of her element. Exposed and vulnerable, confused yet inexplicably happy. She'd never seen her eyes light up like a kid on Christmas when it came to human beings other than her children. Natsuki had only been in their lives for six days. For six days her mother's smile had lit up the night and day.

Which came the her second most important question(s): Just who the hell was Natsuki Namikaze (?)? What was her presumed relationship with her mother? And why was there a tattoo of an ' _S'_ with a crown that had long since been crossed with a knife it seemed, on her chest?

Suddenly, the wolf shot to her knees, and, unable to make it to the toilet, vomited right on the floor. Kira shrieked, scrambling backward to avoid the awful white substance. ' _Idiot, stuck in your thoughts when she needs medical attention,'_ she berated herself. ' _While the doctors consult, a patient dies.'_ Her mother's words echoed in head.

' _I don't have a choice,'_ Kira thought dreadfully, ' _I have to tell Grandma and Obaa-san about the wolf. If I don't, she'll die without mom's care.'_ She carefully heaved the woman away from the vomit, off of the cold tile, and into the living space with only a bit of difficulty thanks to the nanomachines. They only worked when she was frazzled or felt some type of intense emotion. In this case: fear.

' _I'm so grounded for life, but something tells me if you die my mom will never be able to forgive herself.'_

"NAMIKO!"

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An old woman clad in a beautiful red, traditional kimono hummed an old war tune as she dutifully cleaned the cheeks of a small 2 month-old infant. Laughing softly at the face the little one made, she gently plucked the girl from her high-chair and settled her on her hip.

"You are definitely Riku's child. She made that same face all the time when she was your age." Namiko-obaa-san commented lightly.

The little girl looked up at her with giant amber eyes. The green flecks around her irises came from her mother's hazel hues. Rynn, in Namiko-obaa-san's opinion, was the perfect mixture of both her parents. She had Arianna's proud, gorgeous mocha skin, pouty lips, and airborne curls while Riku's sharp golden eyes and doll-like Asian features showed proudly with her mixed heritage.

"I know, sweetie, your parents will be by soon to pick you up. I know how much you miss them." the old woman, cooed, sensing the infant's growing anxiety. She knew she was craving her mother's voice and scent.

As if on cue, there was a series of knocks on her front door. "Must be them now." she said cheerfully.

Together, elder and infant made the short journey from the living room to the entrance of the mansion, Rynn blubbering cutely all the way. "I was just telling the little one-"

The words froze on her tongue.

Boy, the elder Namiko had seen many, many things in all her years of living. Therefore, many things, as well as people didn't phase her. But when she found herself standing before a soul so wicked and vile that it made the blood in her veins come to a screeching halt and a bile so acrid her esophagus ached, she couldn't help but take a step back.

"You," she spat, clutching Rynn protectively to her chest. "You have some nerve showing your face here after what you've done to my family. You must leave, at once!"

"Now, now, Kruger-sama, I come in peace." a decidedly feminine voice cut insisted, grey eyes glinting mischievously beneath a curtain of teal hair. "I just have a few questions."

"Margu-"

"Shizuru hasn't been at work for six days," the woman interjected. "She hasn't answered my calls or texts and her worthless friends refuse to tell me her whereabouts."

Namiko-Obaa-san's emerald eyes filled with silent rage. This woman was just full of surprises. The cunning little snake had once again eased a thorn into her battered side. "You should be in jail!" she hissed.

Rynn suddenly began to wail. Her grandmother's yelling had upset her. The woman's eyes drifted down to the bundle, a slow, easily smirk falling into place. "That's rich coming from a hypocrite like you." she said as she proceeded to make her way into the mansion, into the elder's face.

"It's Riku who should be in jail. That little girl has no business fraternizing with yet another broken puppy." she continued, eyes growing darker and more malicious by the second.

Suddenly, she backed off.

In the blink of an eye, she was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed as if she'd been sitting there the entire time, admiring her nails like the quintuplets offended her. "It's a wonderful cover story, of course. The little bastard's whore mother's little idiot of a boyfriend isn't so useless after all. 'We were drunk, no condom.' It works everytime doesn't it?" she whispered the last part, her empty eyes fixated on her hands.

"Of course the bastard will never know the the child isn't his. Riku would certainly go to jail. The girl may be of age now, but she wasn't when the baby was conceived. It'd be a shame if the authorities were to find out they missed that in their little investigation-"

"Enough!" Namiko-obaa-san screeched. "Get out! I will call the authorities myself, Miss Marguerite. You may have escaped your rightful sentence, but you will never be welcome in my home."

"If she doesn't come back tomorrow, the boxer's finished." Tomoe spat. "I get bored having nothing nice to look at when I'm shrouded in paperwork. I miss seeing her long, beautiful legs. I remember them so vividly wrapped around my waist…"

"You. Are. SICK!"

"I am waiting." Tomoe said as she made her way back to the door, hands lazily stuffed in her pockets and shoes scuffing the wood the entire way. "Goodbye, Kruger-san. Oh, one more thing. Tell your good for nothing spawn that I expect my weapons in three days. Good day."

And with that, the infamous 'Nightmare of the Bay' disappeared into the night, leaving a shaky elder Namiko in her wake. "Oh, Goddess." she breathed, knees crashing heavily onto the floor. "Kami-sama, Ren… Give me strength."

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Namiko laid a cool rag on her mother's blistering forehead as she rested in the ice cold tub of water in the lavish master bathroom. The freezing water seemed to have helped for the time being, but she was still adamant about getting a proper diagnosis. "Hold on, mom." she whispered as she dashed from the bathroom.

"Kira!" she said as she burst into the twins' room, but saw no sign of the older teen.

"Namiko, what the fuck!" Kaya cried as she was abruptly awoken from her slumber. Alex stirred behind her.

"Shit, sorry, Kai." Namiko blubbered, turning away once she got a peek of way more than what she thought necessary. "I thought she'd be in here. Mom's sick and-"

"Wait, what do you mean mom's sick?" the middle child cried, sobering up instantly. ' _Mom can't get sick, you idiot.'_ she whispered in a voice so low only Namiko's bionic ears could pick up.

" _Tell that to the raging fever she's got right now. She's upstairs in the tub. I thought Kira would've told you by now?!"_

" _I haven't seen her since dinner!"_ she hissed back, sliding out of the bed to retrieve some clothes.

" _Where the fuck is she!"_ Namiko cried, frustrated. " _Look, call the old people and tell them to get over here, fast! She's in some serious pain. She burned me…"_

" _Holy shit, are you okay?"_ Kaya fretted worriedly as she pulled on her bathroom.

" _Fine, just call them, now!"_ Namiko threw over her shoulder as she once again turned the winding corridors of her house into a racetrack. Her mother would've had a damn fit… Damn, she needed to hurry. "Kira, where the fuck are you!"

She checked every room in the house. She event went as far as searching the garage, where her mother's high-class vehicles resided. "Did this bitch leave? No, she wouldn't do that… she has to be in the fucking basement."

She hopped over the balcony rail, (which was well over three stories,) and landed softly on her feet like a kitten, completely unharmed. She was at the basement's pristine white door in a matter of seconds. She didn't even knock.

Just rammed her shoulder into its pathetic wooden finish and busted right in. (She'd deal with the backlash later.) God, she was just so sick of her mom and eldest sister's secretive bullshit about the basement. She hadn't been allowed there for almost a week, but Kira got an all access pass? Not even Kaya could get in.

Just what the hell was up with all these secrets? They were getting on her nerves!

"Kira, where the fuck are you!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, hastily making her way over to only doorway streaming light.

And when she got there, boy, did she shut right up.

"You fucking didn't…"

Kira looked up, green eyes filling with tears and guilt…(?) Namiko hoped it was guilt for her sake. "She's not warming up… she's going to die."

"You brought that woman to our house!" Namiko spluttered in rage. "She's the one who hurt mom? Are you stupid!?"

"Look, I was only doing what was right, okay?! Have a heart!"

"Have some fucking _sense_!"

"Mom stayed up six days and six nights watching over this woman, praying every single night that she made it through! I watched it! I saw it! Mom was finally happy! I won't let her go on like this any longer! And if her happiness is some scumbag, which by the way, _saved my fucking life_ , then I'm going to do everything I can to make sure she stays alive. Now shut it, and help me get her to the bed!"

Namiko didn't know what the fuck was going on. All she knew was that Kira was going to _get her ass lit_ by their grandfather when she got hear for putting them in danger like that. In a way, she kind of looked forward to it, but that was just probably a little overwhelming sibling rivalry.

"You ge-"

" _MOM!"_

A scream from upstairs stopped the quarreling siblings from continuing. The two locked eyes, twin orbs of horror in iridescent colors. Namiko didn't know whether to be angry, scared, confused…

No, fuck that.

When it came to her mom's well-being, she was fucking terrified.

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To Be Continued.


End file.
